Shining in the sky
by TinyPalm
Summary: Happens after the end of Episode 13. Otonashi and Kanade meet and decide to stay together forever. But abnormalities in the school are appearing that they simply can't ignore. Other characters will appear later in the story. FIN.
1. Prologue: Memories

**Yay. My first story for Angel Beats! In case you're wondering, the title 'Shining in the Sky' is the name of a song in Clannad. R&R**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Angel Beats! and any of its characters. All rights to the respective owners.**

**Rating: K+**

**Genre: Adventure & Romance**

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><p>Prologue – Memories<p>

'Hmm… okay, looks like today we're going to talk about probability…'

I sighed as Math teacher waved a piece of chalk around and started babbling away. I had given up on this last period from the very start. It wasn't like I hated Math; instead, my dream to be a doctor rested on my grades in all science subjects. But for some reason, I kept losing my focus; in fact, I'd been unable to concentrate on anything anymore. Anything except the image of that girl…

The girl, with short, silky white hair and a matching, short-brimmed hat… I saw her a few days ago when I was out buying a birthday present for my bedridden little sister. It was so strange. I'd never met that girl before in my life, but somehow I felt like I knew her, like we were connected in some way… somehow.

Since then, I'd been unable to take my mind off her. And what's worse, the more I thought about it, the more I regretted holding back at the last minute when my hand could have reached her.

_Otonashi…_

What?

_Yuzuru Otonashi!_

The harsh voice that belonged to our Math teacher pulled me back to reality. That was when I realized I'd been looking out the window next to me this entire time.

'So, daydreaming again, huh? Hmph, since you're so smart, why don't you solve question 13 for us?'

I suppressed a yawn as I fumbled for the correct page and searched for the question. It was just simple arithmetic on probability, so I delivered my answer without difficulty.

I figured I got the answer correct, since his face got noticeably darker. Before I could sit down though, he barked, 'Otonashi, don't forget you have cleaning duty today.'

Just as I was thinking about how cleaning duty had anything to do with probability, he babbled away again with his chalk in hand.

Before I knew it, the bell rang and it was time to leave. Well, for my classmates at least. That, while I was stuck with cleaning duty.

I scanned the room as I waited. It was early March, and today was another warm spring day of the week, so it was a bit odd that students had been calling in sick since last week. Even now I could spot six to seven empty seats in our class. Had the flu suddenly become hyperactive this year and decided to stick around even after winter? Maybe that was why Math teacher seemed especially grumpy, even with me?

My mind trailed off again as I waited for the last student to leave the room. I halfheartedly walked downstairs to the storage room where the cleaning tools resided. It was so frustrating. The image of that girl kept popping up in my head. If only I knew who she was… This was giving me a headache.

As I dragged my heavy body, now loaded with tools, up the stairs again, the corridor was already deserted. I sighed as I trudged to my classroom. _This is going to be a long day._

That was when I heard it. The soft sounds of a piano playing drifted into my ears. It was so beautiful, yet so familiar. I must have heard it before, but where? I had never been a fan of music, so why was I reacting like this?

The piano continued to play, and for some reason, the image of that white-haired girl popped up again. But it was different this time; somehow, the image was… clearer.

The music was coming to an end, and before I knew it, I found myself abandoning the cleaning tools in the middle of the corridor and running for the music room. Somehow, I didn't want to let it end. Not like this.

Panting heavily, I slid open the music room door. The music came to an abrupt stop, and then I saw her. The girl with the short, silky white hair now tied back into a cute little ponytail. Before my mind could stop me, I rushed over to her, grabbed her hand and blurted out, 'Kanade!'

I didn't know what was happening to me. My mouth had moved on its own before my conscious mind could stop it. I didn't even know what 'Kanade' meant. The girl stared blankly at me.

I loosened my grip on her hand after my conscious mind took control again. I let go of her hand and walked back a few steps. 'Sorry, did I startle you?'

No answer. The girl continued to stare blankly at me.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know why I had come here in the first place. Maybe I had secretly wished that the girl would be here waiting. But now that she _was_ here, I felt that it hadn't accomplished anything.

Just as I was having trouble figuring out what to say next, another familiar voice shouted from outside the music room. It belonged to my harsh Math teacher.

'Otonashi, what are you doing here?' he barked. 'You've got some nerve hiding when you're supposed to be cleaning. Kid, you've got a demerit coming your way for shirking your duties. No, I'll make that three.'

He was slowly marching this way. There was no time for second thoughts. Almost reflexively, I grabbed the girl's hand again and whispered into her ear, 'Let's make a run for it.'

We ran out of the room using a second door to the back. By that time, the demon giving chase behind us had also broken into a run. I guessed I could consider myself lucky that he was not much of a sports type, but I also took care not to run too fast since I was carrying a girl.

_Dub-dub-dub._ I could feel the girl's strong, accelerating pulses in my hand. I didn't know why, but each time the vein pulsed, I got a strange yet familiar feeling.

'I'm going to – gasps – get you expelled – gasps – if you keep running like this, Oton – gasps – ashi!' Math teacher barked with difficulty behind us.

I knew I was risking a lot, but I also knew I couldn't let go. I felt like I needed to hold on to her. I had a feeling I'd lose her forever if I left her now.

_Dub._ We ran up a flight of stairs and down another. _Dub. _We ran across the library and the science laboratories._ Dub._ And then down the final set of stairs into the playground.

_DUB._ That was when it all clicked.

All it took was an intense sense of déjà vu. The evening sun shining in the cloudless sky, the pool beside us as smooth as a mirror and as clear as crystal, the playground in front of us gleaming in the orange light…

I remembered. I remembered the final moments we spent together on this set of stairs. When I confessed my love for her. When she disappeared right in my arms. When I was in so much pain I thought about dying.

I slowed to a stop before turning to face her. I was silent for a few seconds, but in the end, I managed to say in a trembling voice, 'Kanade?'

I stared at her silently, and she stared back at me, but this time her eyes were glistening as tears began to form. And then, a moment later, as I still stood dumbstruck, she hugged me.

Tears rolled down her eyes as she said, 'Yuzuru.'

I hugged her back, but I still didn't know what to say.

'I started to think that you really had forgotten about me.' Her voice came in the form of a sweet and familiar tone.

'I-I don't understand,' I managed in the end.

'I've been waiting for you, Yuzuru.' Kanade looked at me and smiled once amidst tears. I didn't know if they were tears of joy, but seeing her cry made my heart ache.

'Leaving you behind was the most painful feeling for me. I love you, Yuzuru. So much that the memories of my past life still remained when I was reincarnated and born into this world. I've been searching for you ever since.' She rested her face against my chest. 'Do you still love me, Yuzuru?'

Tears welled up in my eyes. 'Yes,' I said and hugged her tighter. 'I do. Of course I do. Sorry for making you wait this long.' Tears started streaming down my eyes. 'I'm so sorry. Please don't leave me again, Kanade.'

'I won't. I promise. Thank you so much for loving me, Yuzuru.'

We stood embraced in each other's arms while enjoying the cool, silent summer breeze. I'd never felt happier.

Happiness didn't last.

OTONASHI!

The fierce howl came yet again. I opened my eyes slightly to find him clumsily carrying the broom, the mop and the towels I had abandoned in the corridor. I smiled and shut my eyes. I wasn't about to let go of her.

After all, true love transcends everything, right?

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><p><strong>Thanks. R&amp;R<strong>


	2. Chapter 1: A new beginning

Chapter 1 – A new beginning

It was the period just before lunch break, and incidentally it was math class again. I glanced around the room. The number of absentees was still on the rise. It had gotten to the point where even feigning sickness wouldn't seem suspicious. Those that had recovered and come back to school were also behaving so listlessly. Was the flu really that serious this year?

I sighed internally as I let my mind wander. I recalled everything that had happened yesterday.

_In the end, I was sent to the principal's office. Demon Teacher had intended to ruin my life with 3 demerits, but apparently the principal decided one was enough. He was going on about how this was only my first time 'committing the crime' and how he earnestly hoped I would learn my lesson. Naturally, the principal's lenient decision left Demon teacher fuming, and I was a bit surprised myself too. Why did the principal want to defend me so badly? My grades weren't that good, were they?_

_Anyway, moving on. I left the office alone – since Demon Teacher had stormed out moments before already – and found Kanade waiting patiently outside. A familiar warm feeling rose inside my chest._

'_So how did it go?' she asked me, and her brows creased with anxiety._

'_Haha, it's not that big a deal. The principal decided to go easy on me.' I took her hand. 'But I still have cleaning duty. I'm so sorry I can't stay.'_

_She was silent for a few seconds before opening her mouth again. 'In that case, I'll help too.'_

_I didn't expect her to say that. 'But… you might get bored hanging out in an empty classroom with me…'_

'_No I won't,' she protested. 'As long as I'm with you.'_

_Her words touched the deepest part of my heart. 'Still, do you think the teachers will allow it?'_

'_Don't worry. It's not against school regulations…'_

_Ah, of course. I figured she had to know the school rules from the inside out by now. If she said it wasn't against the school rules, then it wasn't._

_I smiled. 'Thank you so much, Kanade.'_

_And so we started cleaning. To be honest, I was never a fan of chores – actually, I doubted anyone was – but for the first time, I enjoyed it so much that somehow I didn't want it to end so quickly._

_After we'd made sure that the floors, the blackboard and everything were properly cleaned, we walked around school a bit and started talking. Apparently, she was a first-year in this school, and her classroom was one floor below mine, since I was a second-year. I had to admit it was only then that I realized I was actually one year older than her in the real world._

_Now that I had remembered everything, I suddenly realized that this school was frighteningly similar to our school in the Afterworld. The only difference was the people here and the absence of the trap in front of the principal's office. But if it were present…_

The principal continues to lecture me as Demon Teacher storms out of the principal's office. _Rattle_. Demon teacher opens the door. _Fwap_. Demon teacher takes one step out of the office. _Slam. Crack. Swoosh_. Demon Teacher gets hit by a hammer and flies out the window. Aaaaargh… a home run with his demonic screaming.

I let the fantasy play out in my mind. Tears started stinging my eyes as I tried to stop myself from laughing. I had to cover my mouth so hard and clutch my stomach with so much force I felt like I was dying of a stomachache. My shoulders and chest were visibly shaking, but I had to hold it in. I could only imagine what fate would await me if I were to cackle in Demon Teacher's Class.

That was stupid… Anyway… _I walked her to the girls' dorm and had to make her promise to have lunch with me the next day before I was finally able to say goodbye._

And so here I was with my eyes glued to my watch. _Only five minutes left._ It felt like a lifetime though. I reached into my pocket to make sure that the gift I had prepared beforehand was still there.

After what felt like the longest five minutes of my life, the bell finally rang. I sprang from my seat and rushed out of the room before I could realize that the class hadn't really ended. _Oh well._

I hopped down the stairs and into the cafeteria. She was already there. She smiled as she saw me.

I reached into my pocket and produced a meal ticket. 'Here you go.'

'What's this?' Kanade asked before letting out a slight gasp. 'Mapo Tofu!' She stared at me with her eyes gleaming with joy. 'You remember.'

'Of course I remember.' Though, to be honest, when she was the only one who could take on a full dish of spicy Mapo Tofu by herself, it was hard for anyone not to remember.

'Thank you so much!'

I produced my own Beef Udon ticket. Then we took our respective trays, sat and started to eat.

'It has been a while since we sat together and ate like that, hasn't it?' she asked.

'It sure has.' I smiled. We were sitting at the exact same spot as we had last time. Come to think of it, it was only thanks to her that I was able to savor the taste of the infamous Mapo Tofu. After all, I was the one who had gotten her meal ticket blown away in Operation Tornado. All the more reason for me to give one back to her.

That was when a curious question suddenly occurred to me. 'Say, Kanade…'

'Hmm?' she looked up.

'Since we're here, do you think others might be here too?'

'Others?'

'Yeah, I mean our friends. Wouldn't it be fun if all of us were studying in the same school after all that?'

'Yes. They are here, actually.' She gave that reply readily.

It surprised me a bit, and I was suddenly curious. 'How can you be so sure?'

'At least, I know Noda is here.'

It took only a moment before the image of the purple-haired idiot carrying that stupid axe all around school came to mind. I was shocked. 'Wait, he's here? Seriously?'

'Mm-hmm. He's actually in the same class as me.'

'Him and his stupid axe, huh?' Wait, if he was in the same class as Kanade, then… _No way! He's actually younger than me?_

'Yep, he's still carrying it to school every day.'

I nearly choked.

'Wait a minute,' I said between coughs. 'You don't really mean the teachers let him carry that axe to school every day, do you?'

'Yes,' she said.

_Man…_ So apparently carrying weapons with great offensive power to school was less of a crime than avoiding cleaning duty, huh?

Kanade returned to her spicy dish of Tofu.

I pictured Noda swinging his axe around during recess and talking crazily at the same time. I bet it would be a sight to see.

'Say, Yuzuru,' she asked softly. 'Are you free after school? I want to take you somewhere.' She was looking away as she said it.

I must have blushed a little bit since I felt my cheeks getting hotter.

_Yes. _That was what I wanted to say, but sometimes reality could be really harsh.

'I'm sorry, Kanade,' I forced myself to say it. 'But I'm stuck with cleaning duty today too. It's the punishment I get from my Math Teacher for "shirking my cleaning duties".'

'Then I'll stay and help,' she said in a determined tone.

'You really don't need to go through all that trouble for me. You've done enough already.'

'It's no trouble!' she protested before lowering her head a bit. 'Besides… I want to be with you…'

Now my heart was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. Warmth, appreciation and also regret that I said something that hurt her. 'Oh, no. I mean, I want to be with you too. I was just worried that you might work yourself too hard for me.'

'Don't worry,' she said as she smiled.

And so, the last two periods ended without me paying much attention. But I managed to remember to say goodbye before striding out of the classroom.

Kanade was there already. Wait a minute, didn't she need to attend classes too?

'Class ended early,' she explained. _Oh well, guess we'll leave it at that._

We waited until all my classmates were gone before starting to move the desks and sweep the floor.

That was when it happened…

The classroom door suddenly slid open with a bang. Kanade and I both looked up at the same time.

_Darn. Demon Teacher is here again._ That was my first reaction. But on closer look, he didn't remotely resemble that idiot. In fact, it was another idiot whose face I remembered well.

Actually, it was the same boy that had been our topic of conversation over lunch.

Yep, the boy carrying an impossibly giant axe over his shoulder who had almost broken the classroom door was our beloved psychopath, Noda.


	3. Chapter 2: Psychopath

Chapter 2 – Psychopath

'What are you doing here?' I straightened up and asked.

The idiot tilted up his head and stared down at us. 'Hmph,' he scoffed. Then he lowered his head and shut his eyes. 'I see how this is.'

_You see how what is?_

His eyes shot open and started shouting, 'You think you really can lure me into a trap as obvious as this? I saw through your nasty scheme from the very beginning.' He thrust his axe at us. 'Did you really think I would fall for that?'

_Fall for what?_

'Hey, put that thing away before you hurt somebody,' I said as I moved reflexively to shield Kanade with my body. I was suddenly reminded of the 100 combo hits he had given me. I wasn't going to let Kanade get hurt in any way. Now that we were in the real world without her insane powers, she was practically defenseless. 'Besides, I have no idea what you're talking about.'

Noda threw his head to the side. 'Hmph, don't play dumb. You were going to take this axe from me, weren't you? Well, you're never going to get it! You hear me?' Then he scoffed again before taking off. 'So long, punks.'

I watched dumbstruck as he strode away. Why would I – no… why would _anyone_ want that stupid axe of his? I didn't recall Kanade and me setting up a trap either.

'What was that all about?' I muttered. Kanade didn't say anything. 'Well, in any case, I don't think he remembers us.'

'No. He doesn't recognize me either even though we're in the same class.' Her voice was calm as usual.

He hadn't changed one bit. I sighed. 'Let's get back to work.'

Just before I could pick up the broom, though, the idiot's voice pierced the silent room as he once again stood in the doorway.

'You again?' I said.

'Hmm, but if this _wasn't_ a trap…' His eyes were closed and his hand was covering his mouth, deep in thought. That gesture would make anyone look more intelligent, but somehow it made him look even more idiotic, if that was possible.

He nodded once before shooting a killer glare at us. 'I need your help, punks.'

_That's a strange thing for you to say, and I should probably tell you not to call someone a punk when you want him to help you._ I didn't say that out loud, but that was what I thought anyway.

'And if I find out you're really after this axe, I'm going to kill you.'

My eyebrow was twitching with rage. 'You're really annoying, you know that? Neither of us wants your stupid axe.'

'Hmph.' He threw his head to the side again. 'We'll see about that.'

'Besides, why should we help you with anything?' I barked.

Another killer glare. 'You have a death wish, punk?' He was saying that with his axe only a few centimeters from my throat.

For some reason, I was behaving extremely calm as I stared at the tip of the axe. Did I really have so much confidence in my fellow psychopath? I sighed. 'What do you need help with?'

'Here's the plan. I'm going to hide in that corner there, and no matter who comes, just tell her "Noda isn't here."'

'Hey,' I barked. 'If you need help from us, you need to tell us the situation first. Otherwise…'

_Swoosh_. I could feel the wind as the idiot thrust his axe in my direction again. 'Just go with the plan.' After that, he marched to the far corner of the classroom, pulled out a chair and sat with his back straight and eyes wide open. I wasn't even sure if he knew what 'hiding' meant.

'Hey, if you need a hiding place so bad, just go to the boys' bathroom,' I suggested. He ignored me and continued to sit back-straight and wide-eyed. _Sigh. What a moron._

_Fwap-fwap-fwap-fwap…_ Someone was running this way. The person stopped just outside our classroom and poked her head inside.

It was a girl. A small girl with long grayish-green hair. She was wearing the same uniform as us, so I guessed she was also a junior at this school. 'Um, excuse me…' she said in a small voice. 'May I come in?'

There was a huge difference between Noda's rudeness and this girl's politeness. 'Of course. What do you want?' I said.

She bowed slightly before saying, 'Sorry for bothering you, but have you by any chance seen a purple-haired boy passing through here? He's always carrying a huge axe with him.'

_So this is the girl who's been following Noda. Perfect timing._

_Yep, he's right over there. _That would have been really fun to say, but I was afraid of the consequences. A mortal body can't withstand one axe swipe, let alone a hundred.

'Nope. Sorry, can't help you,' I said.

'I see.' She lowered her head a bit, and I took the chance to steal a sideways glance at Noda, still sitting back-straight and wide-eyed. _You idiot. You could at least hide under a desk or something._

'Wait, he's right there,' the little girl beamed. I put my hands together. _Sorry Noda. We did our best._

'But Noda-san looking rather strange, isn't he?' the girl asked. _Noda-san? _Noda continued to sit there, as still as a statue. Statue…

'Uhh… it's because… it's not really Noda himself. It's only a statue,' I blurted out. _Huh? What am I even thinking?_

'A statue? Of Noda-san?' the girl put a finger on her lips, looking thoughtful for a second. 'Wow, he must really be famous.' She approached it and took a close look at his face. 'And the sculpture looks just the same as the real person too.' I couldn't believe it. She actually fell for that.

She began poking Noda's face with her finger. 'Wow, this is unbelievable. I wonder who created it.' She turned her head toward us. Noda took his chance and blinked.

'No idea,' I said. Seriously, how dumb was this girl? I could almost picture the pink-haired girl called Yui whispering 'she's a moron' right into my ear.

'So, can you tell us why you need to see Noda so badly?' I asked.

She stopped poking and suddenly started twitching her fingers nervously. 'Uh… it's nothing, haha.' She gave a nervous chuckle and her cheeks flushed a little. 'No particular reason.'

What was that all about? _Wait… don't tell me. Noda's got an admirer?_

'Well, anyway, see you again,' the little girl said and bowed again. 'Thanks for all your help.'

I waited until the girl's footsteps faded into the distance before turning my head toward Noda. 'Okay, care to explain things a bit?'

He broke from his stance and heaved a long sigh of relief. He picked up his axe and swung it over his shoulder. 'Man, that girl sure is stupid,' he said, stretching his neck.

'Yep, you are two of a kind.'

'Lucky I got rid of her this time. She can be really persistent. That little brat's always bugging me to lend her my axe.' He shot me a glare. 'You were behaving so suspicious I thought you and she were on the same team.'

'What's so suspicious about cleaning up a classroom? Anyway, like I said, you could have hidden in the boys' bathroom. I doubt she'd be stupid enough to go in there.'

He scoffed. 'I'm not desperate enough to have to resort to that.'

'Other classrooms then. Why this one?'

He gave an exaggerated sigh. 'That's because I didn't come here just to hide,' he said and looked at us. 'I came here with another purpose.'

I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

He marched toward the door. 'But I don't feel like explaining. Just follow me.'

'Knowing you, it'll mean trouble wherever you're taking us. No, we'd better stay here and finish our cleaning duty.'

'Hmph, you wimp, always following stupid orders and doing stupid things like cleaning duty,' he scoffed, sounding like he was pissed off. Then he did his favorite move of thrusting his axe at us before shouting, 'There's only one person in this world who can get me to follow orders, and we're seeing her right now, whether you like it or not.'

I stole a glance at Kanade, who'd been standing still during the whole event. She gave me that blank expression again. Actually, I didn't need to ask her to know who Noda was talking about. The hint he had just given us was more than a little obvious. But I was still a little surprised. I mean, it had only been yesterday that I remembered everything regarding my 'past life', and one day later I was meeting two of them. Maybe even more. This was just too convenient.

And knowing Yuri, she wouldn't ask us to see her just so that we could get acquainted all over again. Somehow, I felt there was something more. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. Still, I wouldn't say I didn't want to go. I looked at all the cleaning tools before eyeing the girl standing right next to me. Kanade nodded as she sensed my desire to go.

I also noticed something else. 'Hey, wait, Noda,' I said just before he took the step out of the room.

He turned his head toward me.

'If that's the case, you've known who we are this entire time. Why didn't you say anything?' I gestured at Kanade. 'Why didn't you tell her anything?'

'Hmph, did I need to?' A simple answer.

_He does have a point. He really didn't need to. Then why is he coming for us now?_

We followed Noda as he strode out of the room. I just hoped I wouldn't get caught again…

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><p><strong>That's it for now. See you in the next chapter~<strong>


	4. Chapter 3: Dual missions Part 1

**I've reuploaded all the previous chapters, partly because I wanted to get some chapter titles up, and partly because some details had to be added to make the story flow better. Slight changes have been made to the prologue and chapter 1.**

**Here's the start of the main plot. Enjoy :D**

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><p>Chapter 3 – Dual missions (Part 1)<p>

'Infiltration successful,' I whispered into the little black thing held in my hand.

'_Perfect. Proceed as planned.'_ Yuri's muffled voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie.

I surveyed my surroundings and broke out in a sweat. _Easy for you to say,_ I thought. _I'm risking my life here while you're safe at school, half a mile away._

I reached for my back pocket to make sure the pistol Yuri had given me was there, but I knew it was no use. Ten pistols couldn't save me if I got in trouble here.

Noda's quiet breathing behind me was no help at all. Instead, my anxiety only intensified as Noda kept breathing air on my neck.

I checked my watch and turned its lighting display on. _1:15._ I hesitated. With sufficient visual assistance, infiltrating the building had been the easy part. But it was going to be a lot harder maneuvering our way in total darkness.

'Hey, Yuri… Are you sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow?' I whispered into the walkie-talkie.

'_Huh? What are you talking about? We've been planning this for the entire evening. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now!'_ Yuri was suddenly shouting, and I frantically covered my hand on the walkie-talkie, sweat dripping down my forehead.

'Hey, keep your voice down, will you?' I whispered and looked around me again. 'Anyway…'

'_Shh, wait…'_ Yuri said on the other end. _'I think I found something.'_

What? 'Is it the Angel Player?' I asked a little anxiously.

'_Wait… Oh, it's just a stupid role-play file.' _I covered the walkie-talkie just in time before Yuri started shouting again, _'Now what is it you want?'_

'Damn it, Yuri, are you trying to get us killed?' I whispered. 'Anyway, what I was trying to say was, even if we do manage to go unnoticed and reach our destination in one piece, you don't expect us to just barge in there and drag her out of here, do you?'

'_Yep.'_

'But… that's down-right kidnapping!'

'_Just do it. I'll explain everything to her later.'_

I broke into a sweat again as I peered into the interior of the Girls' Dorm. I had a feeling either ending was going to get us into a lot of trouble. Either we got caught and got beaten up by an infuriating group of girl students, or we got arrested for kidnapping. I put a hand on my forehead. What had I done to deserve this…

Eight hours earlier…

We followed Noda all the way to the top floor of the old school building where most of the club rooms were located. We eventually stopped in front of the room labeled 'SSS'.

I knew perfectly what it meant. _Shinda Sekai Sensen._ It also meant that Yuri must be waiting for us in there. Noda turned the doorknob, and then…

'Hiyaa!' The shout was quickly followed by a kick right in Noda's stomach. That voice was way too familiar. Yep, no mistaking it. It must be Yuri.

Noda didn't even have time to grunt as he flew backwards right into a wall. I was still wondering what had happened when Yuri said, 'Oh, it's you, Noda.'

Noda held his stomach and pulled himself up. 'Hey, what the hell was that for?'

Yuri crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, 'It's your fault you didn't say the password. Anyone who forgets the password is regarded as the enemy.'

At that moment, I was suddenly reminded of the principal's office and the giant hammer trap again. 'Uh, I remember,' I said and raised my index finger. '"There is no God, Buddha or Angel", isn't it?'

Yuri turned her gaze at me. 'Bingo. Welcome back, Otonashi, and you too, Kanade.'

'So… what is this all about?' I asked as I scanned the room. The only members here now were Noda, Yuri, Kanade and myself. The familiar blue banner with the SSS emblem on it was hanging from the ceiling and attached to the wall at the other end. A notebook computer sat on top of a wooden table, and Yuri was sitting in her usual armchair behind it.

That much was the same, but it was still much different from our original 'hideout'. The room was a bit smaller than I could remember. Figured. Unlike the principal's office, this was just an ordinary club room. No fancy curtains. No high-class paintings or pieces of calligraphy. No sofas. No giant monitors…

I was wrong. Yuri tapped a button on the computer and the 'wall' behind her lit up with the 'Briefing Manager' page. I'd always thought that was kind of cool. It always gave me the feeling I was an important member of some special task force or something. Though that was probably really the case.

'What exactly are we doing here?' I attempted my second question.

'What do you think? We're going on our first mission!' Yuri shouted and she had the look on her face that said _'Geez, isn't that obvious?'_

'What mission? What are you talking about?' I demanded.

'Noda, you haven't told them anything yet?' Yuri asked.

Noda swung his axe over his shoulder. 'Nope.'

'He said he didn't feel like telling us,' I said. 'Is there something we should know?'

'Argh! Damn it, Noda. I can't depend on you to handle anything, can I?' Yuri shouted before sighing. 'All right. I'll tell you. The school is in great danger right now, and we may be the only ones who can fix the problem. We believe the school is being targeted by a certain enemy.'

I lifted an eyebrow. 'An enemy?'

'Yes, an enemy,' Yuri repeated.

'Don't tell me it's another Angel or God or whatever God-like… The last time we fought an 'Angel', Kanade ended up being the one who suffered the most.'

'It may not be an Angel. Actually, the problem is, we don't even know who we're fighting against this time.'

_You're kidding me…_

'In any case, Kanade will be joining us too,' Yuri went on. 'Naturally, she's our teammate now.'

I put a hand on my forehead. 'Look, I know we all had fun and all in the Afterworld, but this all seems a little far-fetched. I mean, why would anyone want to target a school for no reason?'

Yuri entwined her hands and rested her chin on top of them. 'Do you know what season this is?'

That question came out of the blue. 'It's spring…' I said hesitantly.

'Do you notice how many students at this school have been calling in sick just this month?'

I was reminded of the empty seats. 'Well, yeah… but what does that have to do with…'

'Do you notice how drastically the characters of our sick classmates have changed just over a short period of sick leave?'

'What are you getting at?' I asked.

Yuri sighed. 'You're not so smart, are you? Okay, here's the basic rundown. An unusually large body of students have been calling in sick in spring, and they have mysteriously become well-behaved after just a few short days.' Yuri paused. 'Do you remember what happened to Takamatsu?'

I gave no reply.

'It was all a little puzzling at first, but I think we've finally found the answer.' Yuri shut her eyes and said, 'They've become NPC's, and that only means shadows have reappeared.'

What?... Wait, what?

I lost my voice for a second. 'Are you serious, Yuri?'

Yuri gave me a sharp look. 'I'm dead serious. And it's not only your class, every one of them, including Kanade and Noda's and my own are experiencing the same situation.'

'Hey, wait a minute!' I shouted. 'Shadows don't just manifest themselves in a physical form in the real world. It just doesn't happen. It can never happen. Just because someone calls in sick and then doesn't have the strength to break some school rules doesn't mean they've just become an NPC. Where's the logic in that?'

'I was skeptical about it at first too,' Yuri said calmly. 'I had that hunch but I never thought it would be true, until Noda verified it for me.' She gestured at Noda. Noda eyed us once before slowly lifting his shirt.

'Hey what are you…' My demand stopped as I saw something. The big, black cross-shaped mark on Noda's muscle-bound stomach. 'What is this…?'

'It was about 3 days ago,' Noda started to explain, which was unlike him. 'School had already ended 3 hours before, but I still had business to do, so I was staying around. I went to the balcony to practice swinging my axe. I saw something never meant to be seen.

'It was a big shadow, the same one that attacked us during our time in the Afterworld. I didn't know what it was at first, since I still didn't have my past memories with me 3 days ago. Or should I say, the shadow was the reason my memories came back to me.'

_You're being awfully vague, _I thought.

'This is my theory,' Yuri explained. 'Memories of a past life are hidden in the deepest part of a person's mind, and certain conditions have to be met before you can jog the memories. Needless to say, Kanade remembered everything because of her undying love for you…'

I blushed. _Geez, you didn't need to say that out loud._

'As for you, Otonashi, your memories came back while you were running for the playground, weren't they? That familiar scene caused you to remember. That was the condition.'

Now I felt really bad. I had been on Kanade's mind the entire time, while I had had to see Kanade to remember her. I glanced at her still figure beside me, but she didn't betray any emotion. That hurt me even more. But something else was bugging me. _How the hell does she know all of that?_

'I'm the leader,' she said in that matter-of-fact tone again. 'It's my job to look after my teammates.'

'So, how did _you_ remember, Yuri?' I asked.

She crossed her legs. 'That has nothing to do with the mission. Carry on, Noda.'

'As I was saying,' Noda continued. 'My memories came back when the shadow attacked me. That familiar sensation… I could never forget it.' He did a swipe with his axe. 'The shadow disappeared after I swung my axe at it full-force a few times, but it still left this mark on me.' He touched his muscle-bound belly.

'He was lucky he had a weapon with him. Other students weren't that lucky,' Yuri said. 'Anyway, that's why he came to me. That's also why we're using this abandoned clubroom as a temporary base and hideout.'

I was speechless. Noda had come face-to-face with an attacking shadow… Something I would never have imagined happening in the real world… You go through middle school, high school and college in the real world. You don't fight menacing shadows with an axe or a gun.

But as much as I didn't want to believe it, I couldn't shake the feeling it was all true. Yuri wouldn't waste her time cooking up something as meaningless as an elaborate hoax. Besides, Noda's injury looked genuine.

'Someone has obviously been using the Angel Player software in the real world to alter the world as he pleases. Shadows are already bad enough, but who knows what will be in store for us if we don't take action now.' Yuri took a deep breath. 'That's why tonight we're going on our first operation! This is a dual operation. Operation: Girl Scouts and Operation: Retrieval will commence at the same time tonight.'

The giant monitor behind Yuri flashed and showed the layout of our school's main building. 'Operation: Girl Scouts will take place in the school. Kanade and I will be in charge of finding the culprit. We'll be scouting and searching the school for potential evidence. Even if we can't find the culprit, a copy of the Angel Player software will be enough to ascertain our suspicions.'

'Hey, wait,' I demanded. 'Putting aside the question of whether someone can really use a piece of computer software to alter the current world and assuming you're right, how do you know the culprit is in the school?'

'I don't,' Yuri said. 'But since abnormalities take place here, the school is our only lead right now.'

_Well, I guess that makes sense…_ 'Then I assume Noda and I will be a part of the "Retrieval Team"? What do we do?'

'Gather our teammates. Do whatever you need to track them down. Sneak into the teachers' lounge and take a look at the class roster. Noda came to me a few days ago and you two were hard to miss after yesterday's incident. But I haven't had time to check out all the students here yet. Maybe some of our teammates are here. Your job is to find them out and drag them here.'

'Are you serious?'

'Of course!' Yuri said and slammed her hand on the wooden table. 'This school is in a crisis, and four members aren't going to be enough. We need our entire team back. It'll help if you can think of something that can jog their memories, but I guess that can wait until after you've dragged them here.'

Yuri put both hands on the table and her expression became even more serious. 'We're restarting the Afterlife Battlefront.'

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><p><strong>Thanks so much for reading this. R&amp;R <strong>


	5. Chapter 4: Dual missions Part 2

**Hi~ I spent the entire night typing this up. And even I'm starting to look forward to writing more after this :D  
>Oh, and before you read this, please be sure to read the previous chapter. I needed to change the 'lunch box' scenario to make ends meet. I know, I'm a lousy planner<br>Well, Enjoy ;)**

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><p>Chapter 4 – Dual missions (Part 2)<p>

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

_Restarting the Afterlife Battlefront… You're kidding, right?_

'You should've seen that coming when I told you we were going on a mission,' Yuri said as she reached down and pulled out a drawer beside the wooden table. With a metal-clanking sound, she took something out and put them on the table.

I wasn't an expert on weaponry, but I could tell a real gun when I saw one, and now I was seeing four of them in front of me.

'Everybody take one,' Yuri said. _That's it?_

'Hey, wait a minute,' I protested. 'Don't go carrying such dangerous stuff to school! You don't honestly believe we'd fire real guns in a high school, do you? That's illegal! How did you manage to even sneak them in here anyway?'

Yuri put her hands on her hips. 'You can be really annoying sometimes, you know that?' she snapped. 'How are we supposed to fight without a weapon? Can you fight a shadow with your bare fists? Now take one.'

I didn't have a choice. I eyed Kanade once as I picked up a gun. She had that same blank expression on her face, only this time her brows were pulled in a bit. I felt sorry for her. She could never bring herself to break any school rules, and now Yuri was telling her to commit possibly the biggest crime ever.

I put a hand on her shoulder. 'Look, Kanade, you don't really need to do this if you don't want to. We could get into a lot of trouble with this mission.'

'No, it's okay,' she said with a smile. 'I want to help.'

Yuri clapped her hands together. 'Yep, that settles it. If Kanade's okay with it, then there shouldn't be any problem, right?' She picked a gun and tucked it somewhere behind her.

'Oh, one more thing,' she added as she pulled two black objects out of the drawer and tossed one at me. 'Since we will be divided into two teams, we need to use these to keep in contact. If you see anything suspicious, report right away.' She plopped down in her armchair again. 'That should be everything. The mission will begin at 12 o'clock sharp. We could have started now if we had our distraction unit. Too bad they aren't here. That pretty much explains the importance of the mission on your part, right, Otonashi?'

'I guess…' I said a bit hesitantly. 'But what do we do until then?'

'We stay here, obviously.' She looked surprised by my question.

'What? But we still have seven and a half hours left!'

'So what? We have to hide until midnight. If the teachers discover we're still here after dark, sending us back to our dorms is the least they'll do. We have to stay here where it's safe.'

I sighed. _This is going to be a long day…_

That was pretty much how it all went down. Yuri decided that she and Kanade would hit the computer room first, while Noda and I would go to the teachers' lounge for the class roster. The room was locked, naturally, and Noda broke down the door before I could stop him. Yep, things could get pretty messy with Noda around, but at least we managed to gain access. And then…

'I found the class roster,' I whispered while closing a drawer after pulling a light file out. We had pulled up all the window blinds and my dilated pupils were straining to absorb what dim light the outside world had to offer.

Noda abandoned his search and ran over to me.

We went over to the windows. 'Let's see… this is class 1A.' I ran a finger over the sheet of paper to look for any familiar names. The first ones I came across were Kanade Tachibana and Noda. _So they _are_ in the same class._ How I wished I could trade places with him…

'Hey, what are you waiting for? Turn over the page already,' Noda said in his usual loud voice.

'You don't know much about undercover work, do you? You're supposed to keep quiet?' I retorted in a small voice.

'Hmph, punk,' he turned his head and whispered.

'Okay, class 1B… nope. 1C… 1D… huh?'

Noda turned his head back. 'What is it?'

'I think I've found one,' I whispered. And it was her, of all people…

'So, out with it, who is it?'

I looked hard at Noda. 'Yui.'

**Yuri Nakamura**

_Dang… this is taking longer than I thought._ I squinted at the brightly lit computer screen. There were altogether two computer rooms at school, one adjacent to the other, and each one housed over 50 computers. It was a pain to boot up every single one and go through all of them thoroughly. And to top it off, the silence that hung was suffocating, especially when my memories of all the visits to rooms with computers weren't really happy ones.

I was still going through the twentieth computer when the walkie-talkie in my skirt pocket vibrated with Otonashi's voice. _'Yuri, we've found a member.'_

I pulled the walkie-talkie out and said, 'Good job, guys. Who is it?'

'_It's the pink-haired Iwasawa-wannabe in class 1D.'_

Yui, huh? I had to be honest. I didn't expect it would be her. But it would definitely do the team good to have a member from the distraction unit back.

'_What should we do?'_

'What do you think? Go get her, of course. Find out where she lives and bring her to me!'

'_Geez, Yuri, you didn't have to shout. And we _have_ already run a check on a computer. She lives in the Girls' Dormitory, Room 206. But are you sure about this?'_

'Of course. Now sneak into the Girls' Dorm and bring her back. Proceed with caution, but do whatever it takes. The future of the world rests in your hands.'

'_When you put it that way, I can't really refuse to go, can I? But you'd better be grateful we're taking a huge risk for the team. Otonashi, out.'_

I tucked the walkie-talkie back into my skirt pocket and smiled. Everything was going smoothly.

_Rattle._ The door was opened. I reflexively grabbed my pistol and pointed it at whoever just came in, all while aligning the front and rear sights perfectly with my target. I hadn't forgotten all my training in the Afterworld.

'Yuri, why are you pointing a gun at me?' Kanade had a confused expression on her face.

'Oh, sorry,' I said while putting it back. 'I thought it was an enemy.'

'I checked all the computers like you asked,' she said while gesturing at the other computer room with her finger.

'Wow, did you really finish up that fast?' I was surprised, to say the least.

'Yes.'

'So, did you find anything out of the ordinary?'

Kanade shook her head.

I sighed. 'I see. Well, do you mind helping me out a bit? I still have over thirty computers to go. It's a pain, but I'm sure I can finish a lot faster with your help.'

Kanade looked at me a little apologetically. 'Sorry, I have somewhere else I need to go first.' With that, she walked away with light footsteps.

'Hey, wait! Where are you going?' I shouted as I charged towards the door.

'I'll be right back.' Her voice was faint in the distance.

What was possibly on her mind right now…

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

It was a quarter to one. The school was probably vacant, but I still didn't want to let down my guard. After all, one can never be too careful. Therefore, when Noda wanted to knock the locked school gates down with his axe, I stopped him and managed to persuade him to go over the gates instead of breaking them. _'Repeated use brings about wear, tear and rust.'_ Those were my actual words, I think.

The walk from school was surprisingly relaxing. It was no different than walking home any other day, though this time, instead of walking to the Boys' Dorm, we were headed towards the Girls'.

And within half an hour, we reached our destination.

**Yuri Nakamura**

Kanade still wasn't back yet, and I was already on the last computer. _So much for being _right_ back to help me out…_

The walkie-talkie in my pocket vibrated again. _'Infiltration successful.'_ Otonashi's voice was small. I nearly laughed at his sudden smart choice of words.

'Perfect. Proceed as planned.'

There was a long pause on the other end. Then his voice came back hesitantly. _'Hey, Yuri… are you sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow?'_

'Huh?'I was suddenly infuriated. He knew what was at stake here, and he still dared to make such a dumb suggestion. This guy needed a smack on the ass. 'What are you talking about?' I shouted. 'We've been planning this for the entire evening. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now!'

'_Hey, keep your voice down, will you?'_ There was a slight pause, and something on the computer caught my eye. It was a word-file with the title 'Angel'. _'Anyway…'_

'Shh, wait, I think I've found something,' I said absentmindedly.

'_Is it the Angel Player?'_

'Wait…' I said as I double-clicked on the file. A 5,000-word document of a role-play popped out. I had the urge to kick the computer, though instead, I took it out on Otonashi.

'Oh, it's just a stupid role-play file.' Then I shouted, 'Now what is it you want?'

'_Damn it, Yuri, are you trying to get us killed? Anyway, what I was trying to say was, even if we do manage to go unnoticed and reach our destination in one piece, you don't expect us to just barge in there and drag her out of here, do you?'_

'Yep.'

'_But… that's down-right kidnapping!'_

'Just do it. I'll explain everything to her later.'

There was no answer from Otonashi. I put the walkie-talkie back into my pocket and turned off the computer. _Well, there goes it._ I had honestly thought we'd at least find something in the computer rooms. I mean, of course the enemy wouldn't be dumb enough to use a computer that could be publicly accessed, but he had got to leave a hint or two, hadn't he?

I was completely unaware of the other presence slowly approaching the room.

**Yuruzu Otonashi**

_Dang… Yuri's bossy as usual._

The Girls' Dorm was completely dark. I gestured for Noda to follow me, but I doubted he could see it. Heck, even I couldn't see my own two hands.

_Room 206… That means it's on the second floor._

We had to orientate ourselves using the walls around us. And it would only get trickier when it came to the stairs. I hoped Noda wouldn't slip up.

Normally, it would be impossible for us to maneuver our way in total darkness, since we'd never been to the Girls' Dorm before. But luckily, the computer in the teachers' lounge contained the complete layout of the Girls' Dorm, and I took some time to familiarize myself with it, so I was pretty confident I knew where I was going.

We reached the staircase without getting noticed. I stepped on the first stair step and slowly put my weight on it. It creaked with a loud and horrifying sound.

'What the hell are you doing?' Noda whispered behind me.

'What does it look like I'm doing?' I barked back in a small voice. 'I'm trying to get up the stairs.'

'Well, you're not doing a really good job if you keep making noises like this under your feet.' It was dark, but I could perfectly picture Noda shooting me a glare in my mind.

'It's not my fault the stairs aren't steady!'

There was a short pause. Noda scoffed, 'This is easy. Just put your weight on your hands instead of your feet. Use the handles to balance your weight. That way, you'll produce much less noise.'

Wow. I had to be honest. I would never have expected that to come from Noda. _So even this idiot says smart things every now and then._

But the little admiration I felt for him vanished without a trace as he annoyingly pushed me back with his hands. 'I'll go first. Watch and learn.' He handed me his axe. 'Hold onto this for me, will ya?'

Noda slowly 'balanced his weight'.

_Creak-creak-creak._ The noise under his feet was significantly reduced all right, but it was the same problem with the handles. In fact, I'd say it was even worse. 'Hey…' I said, a little worried. 'Don't put so much weight on…'

_Rumble!_ It was too late. The handle had completely fallen apart. The pieces were falling to the ground with a horrifying _splanking_ sound. I felt blood drain from my face as fear washed over me. 'What have you done?'

'WHO'S THERE?' A loud bark came from one of the rooms. I'd guess it was the dorm mother here.

'There's no time. Gimme that.' Noda took his axe from my hand and rushed upstairs.

I frantically followed him while hearing the horrifying rattling sound of a doorknob turning.

'Hey, where are you going! The exit's the other way!' I cried.

'I'm getting our teammate. I'd rather die than not obey Yurippe's orders.'

'Are you crazy or something? We need to go now, or we really will die!' That wasn't an exaggeration at all.

'Where's Room 206?' Noda was completely ignoring me.

All the lights were suddenly turned on, making me squint. 'WHO THE HELL ARE SNEAKING AROUND UPSTAIRS! SHOW YOURSELVES!' The bark sent another wave of fear through my body.

'It's here,' Noda said, pointing at a room to the left a few meters ahead of us.

'Wait!' It was no use. Noda had already raised his axe and broken down the door. He kicked the broken door open and charged inside.

I followed suit, and then noticed Noda standing stiff in the middle of the room.

'There's no one here…' Noda said in a slightly trembling voice.

_Plack-Plack-Plack…_ The footsteps were getting louder, but I still stole a curious glance at the room number. _206…_

'Guess we have no choice,' Noda said as he thrust his axe at the windows. The glass easily gave way, and the shattered windows fell off the room onto the ground below us. 'Come on!'

He jumped off the window and landed easily on the ground. I thought I had made myself clear during the first Operation Guild Parachute Drop. I was _not_ a big fan of heights. I wasn't even into sports either. How was I supposed to jump off a two-storey building and not get hurt?

'If you want to live, jump!' Noda barked from below.

'COME HERE, YOU BRATS!' The bark that came from just outside the room made it pretty clear Noda wasn't joking. I shut my eyes tight and launched myself through the window.

I landed. On top of something soft.

'Oof!' It was Noda's voice. 'That… hurt. Get off of me, you idiot!'

I opened my eyes slowly. I had landed right on top of Noda's stomach. I hastily pulled myself up before offering Noda my hand.

He brushed my hand aside and held his stomach as he pulled himself up.

'Well, that went well,' Noda said as we ran, making our way back to the school. 'I hope at least Yurippe's found something.'

**Yuri Nakamura**

I sat on the seat in front of the last computer, holding my thinking posture, waiting for Kanade to come back. The computer rooms held nothing of interest, but there were a lot of other places we hadn't yet searched. Otonashi had mentioned there was a computer inside the teachers' lounge somewhere, right? Maybe the culprit was using that?

A wave of chilly air washed over my body. I instinctively left the seat and hopped sideways, pulling my gun out along the way. _It's here._

A shadow stood before me.

_Bang. _I wasted no time wondering about its sudden presence. The bullet went straight into its 'chest', leaving only a temporary hole. It continued to advance towards me.

I fired a few more rounds before it finally fluttered and disappeared. Another shadow sprang out of the ground immediately.

'What? More?' I demanded as I rolled out of the way and fired dead in its head. Before I could take that one down, two other shadows emerged.

'Dang… how many of you are there?'

_Bang. Crack._ A bullet went straight through a shadow's body and hit a computer monitor. I cursed under my breath. A pistol doesn't hold many bullets. It wouldn't be long before I was low on ammo.

I took care of one, and two other sprang out of the ground. _These guys just don't give up, do they…_

The computer room was small and cramped, and my gun was of little offensive power. I looked around desperately for an out, but I was cornered by the four advancing shadows.

I calculated the distance and decided I would take care of the rightmost one before making a run for it. Based on my experience, I would need four rounds. I took a shot at its head. I took two shots at the hands.

Then I aimed for its legs. _Clack._ I pulled the trigger and tried again. _Clack._

It was no use. I had run out of bullets.

I looked at the four predators. _Is this really the end? Are we really unable to save the school? If I'm caught and become an NPC, will my teammates come and rescue me? Will I be able to recognize my teammates?_ A tear formed in my eyes as I bit my lips desperately and watched helplessly as the four shadows extended their devil claws.

_Swoop._ It was the familiar sound of a sharp weapon slicing through the air. Was it an axe? Had you come to save me, Noda?

I was wrong. Standing behind the four shadows now cut in half was a small, white-haired girl.

And a shining blue blade was protruding from the back of her right hand.

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><p><strong>'Use brings about wear, tear and rust.' This is a line I extracted from another series. If you're interested, go look it up :D Well, that's it for now. Please review?<strong>


	6. Chapter 5: A mysterious message

**Hiya guys! ****Happy Mid-Autumn festival! I had a lot of fun yesterday night with lanterns and glowing sticks. Mooncakes were delicious too XD  
>So did you check out where I extracted the line from? It's 'FF VII - Crisis Core', just so you know :D<br>Well, here's Chapter 5. It's a relatively short chapter, but still, I hope you enjoy it!**

**(Third attempt, and YES! I finally got the message up. I used a different font on my first and second tries but they weren't compatible with fanfiction. In the end I had to search Wikipedia and copied and pasted the letters. It was lame but what could I do T^T)**

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><p>Chapter 5 – A mysterious message<p>

**Yuri Nakamura**

'Are you okay, Yuri?' Kanade crouched down and extended her hand toward me, her face creased with worry. The luminous blade had already vanished without a trace.

I looked at her hand for a few seconds before taking it and tucking my unloaded gun back in place. She pulled me back to my feet.

'I… guess I am…' I said in a slightly trembling voice as I made an attempt to straighten my outfit.

Kanade sighed in relief. 'That's good.'

'But… h-how did you…'

She gave me a questioning glance.

I pointed at her right hand. 'The skill you used just now when you saved me… that was Hand-Sonic, wasn't it?'

'I… guess…' she looked a bit confused as she looked at her hand.

'How… did you do it?'

She looked down. 'To be honest, I'm not sure…'

'What do you mean?'

Kanade looked back up at me and said slowly, 'It automatically took shape on my hand when I saw you in danger…'

I took a deep breath to calm myself down before trying to absorb everything that had just happened. Normally, in the Afterlife, shadows needed NPC hosts to support their existence. But just now, they had sprung out of the ground independently and attacked me without any outside help. I also knew there was no one else at school right now besides the two of us. They had upgraded… and that made things much more complicated.

And then Kanade could use Guard Skills without her knowing how… at least, she _said_ she didn't know how. But I had no way of making sure whether she was telling the truth or not. After all, she _had_ run off in the middle of the mission without telling me what she had wanted to do.

But it was too early to be making any conclusions right now. I would have to wait until the other team got back.

'By the way, Yuri…' Kanade pulled me out of my train of thoughts.

Then she walked over to the entrance and picked up something I hadn't noticed sitting on top of a computer the entire time. 'I found this in the storage room,' Kanade said.

It was a notebook computer.

'I thought you would be interested to see what was in it.' Kanade flipped open the cover and the computer automatically booted up. It flashed and the sudden strong light made me squint a little.

A screen popped up after the loud whirring sound had ceased. It wasn't the Windings screen I had fully expected; instead, it was something I would never have guessed.

In the middle of the pitch-black background, a message written in white read:

*** ******Ρ******Ρ*****Δ** ** ** **Δ********Ρ**

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

The way back to school was just a half-a-mile run, and with us frantically running for our lives, it didn't take us more than five minutes to reach the school gates.

I turned my head occasionally to make sure those girls weren't giving chase. I couldn't see anyone in the distance, but I didn't let my guard down. I would run until I was safe within the confines of the 'hideout'.

The whole trip didn't take more than seven minutes. After we had climbed over the gates, run past the school's main building, and taken the stairs to the top floor of the old building, I spotted the orange light coming from the 'abandoned clubroom'. Noda gave a shout and kicked the door open.

_Splash!_ The next thing I was staring at was a Noda drenched in water from head to toe, and a Yuri holding a large wooden bucket.

'Oh, it's you guys…' Yuri said.

I was lucky to be running behind Noda. To be honest, I would have forgotten to deliver the password too, since I was too busy running for my life. _So I guess the punishment for forgetting the password goes much further than just kicks…_

I sneaked a glance at Noda. The water dripping down his hair and uniform was starting to form a pool on the ground.

'Welcome back,' Kanade said behind Yuri with a smile on her face.

'Thanks,' I said. 'It looks like you're finished with your mission too.'

'The trip to the computer rooms was a total waste,' Yuri sighed. 'But Kanade managed to find something.' She pointed at a second notebook computer on top of the huge wooden desk.

'What's that?'

'It's on. See for yourself.'

I circled around the table and took a look. All I could see was a sentence written in white. It looked like a message of some kind…

*** ******Ρ******Ρ*****Δ** ** ** **Δ********Ρ**

'So, what does it mean?' I asked.

'I don't know,' Yuri said. 'There are too many missing letters in the message for me to figure it out. Kanade said she found it in the storage room.'

'A computer in the storage room?' I lifted my brow. 'Why would you go to the storage room for clues in the first place?'

'My point exactly,' Yuri chimed in and turned to Kanade. 'What were you doing there exactly? Care to explain?'

Yuri was shooting Kanade a glare that made her feel uneasy. She hung her head down a bit and said, 'I was… I was helping Yuzuru clean his classroom.'

My heart jumped, and Yuri seemed surprised.

'We left before we had the chance to finish cleaning,' Kanade explained, her voice a bit unsure. 'I was afraid Yuzuru would be punished again if his teacher discovered he hadn't done his job properly. So I decided to help. That's why I was in the storage room…' She looked up and met my eyes, wet with appreciation.

Yuri's face lit up. 'So that's why! You should have told me sooner! You left me wondering for a second.' She turned back to me and said, 'Well, anyway, back to the message, you do know what the triangle means, right?'

'You mean the Greek letter _delta_?' I asked as I traced the shape with my finger.

'Precisely.' Yuri nodded. 'That leaves us with two possibilities. Either the P's in the message are English, and the message is written in multiple languages, or they are actually also a Greek letter, in this case the letter _rho_.'

I put a hand on my chin. 'So if you translate the letters into English, the delta would be D and the rho would be R, right?'

'Yes,' Yuri said. 'But that's about as far as we can get if we don't know the other letters.' She sighed. 'That's all for Operation: Girl Scouts. So, how did yours go? Oh yeah, where's Yui?'

I grinned sheepishly and eyed Noda once. He was still standing at the entrance, his body still soaked. 'So, uh… Noda, maybe you should tell her.'

Noda suddenly screamed and rushed out of the room, carrying his axe with him.

'What was that all about…' Yuri muttered as she turned back to me. 'So?'

A sweat formed on my forehead as I said hesitantly, 'We… well, we… sort of failed the mission.'

'What?' Yuri suddenly exploded and grabbed me by the collar. _I should have escaped when I had the chance… Noda you smartass…_

'What do you mean, failed the mission?' she shouted as she pulled hard on the collar, almost choking me. 'I only gave you one simple task! You just needed to sneak inside and drag her here! How hard was that?'

_I… can't... breathe… _I wasn't able to say anything. The pressure blocked the air passage. I felt my cheeks reddening and my head about to explode.

Yuri apparently sensed my difficulty and loosened her grip. I coughed as fixed the collar. Then I said in a slightly off voice, 'Geez, Yuri, you don't need to overreact.'

'You know how much is at stake here! How did you expect me to react?' She was still fuming as she put her hands on her hips.

'The stairs weren't steady and they broke when we tried to reach the second floor. We did try to locate Yui in Room 206 –' _That was Noda's idea, actually._ '– but she wasn't there. Noda even broke down the door and the windows…' I put emphasis on the last part.

'She wasn't there?' Yuri frowned, totally oblivious to Noda's unreasonable actions.

There was silence in the clubroom for almost half a minute. 'Oh well,' Yuri said with a smile as she patted her back. 'It was a long day. Let's go back to the Dorms. But be sure to come here after school tomorrow. Got it?'

'There's actually something else that Yuri didn't mention to you,' Kanade said as we walked down the dark stairs of the old building. Yuri had already left in a rush, and Noda was nowhere to be seen.

'Oh? What's that?'

'When Yuri was still in the computer room, shadows emerged.'

'So it really is true… shadows have really been reappearing…'

'Yes.'

'But I don't understand… It violates every physical law. Shadows aren't supposed to exist in the real world…'

'That's not all.' Kanade had stopped in her tracks.

I turned back to look at her, and she was looking at her own right hand.

'I used Hand-Sonic…'

_You're kidding, right?_

'I heard gunshots coming from the computer room just after I'd finished cleaning. I knew Yuri was in trouble and I got there as soon as I could. I didn't know how to use a gun, and I instinctively raised my right hand, and the next thing I knew, a blade had formed itself on my hand.' Kanade paused. 'Yuzuru, do you think someone could really be using Angel Player against us in the real world? Was he… altering me? Did he give me Hand-Sonic on purpose? I… I really don't understand.'

I put a hand on her shoulder. 'Me neither… But that's what we're here to figure out, right? I'm sure there's a logical explanation behind all of this.'

She hugged me, and her voice was trembling slightly. 'Oh, Yuzuru… I'm scared.'

I hugged her back. 'Hey, I'm right here,' I assured her. 'Don't worry, okay? We're all in this together. Once we find the culprit, I'll pummel him for you, ok?' Kanade laughed once, and I was happy I made her feel better.

Kanade had always been fighting by herself. It ached me to realize how much pain she had to go through, and I was no help at all. It took me 16 years before I could recognize her, before we could be together again. And now this terrible enemy stood before us, threatening this school, threatening to tear us apart…

'Don't worry,' I heard myself say in a determined voice. 'I won't let anything get between us again. Ever.'

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><p><strong>See ya on the next chp!<strong>


	7. Chapter 6: Showdown!

**Hiya~ With this update, I'm officially 2 days behind schedule. Oh darn  
>Anyway, here's chapter 6, a (hopefully) nice change of pace from the previous three chapters. Enjoy ;)<strong>

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><p>Chapter 6 – Showdown!<p>

'A… baseball match?' I said as I looked at the sheet of paper Yuri had just given me. The yellow evening sun was smiling at us outside the windows, and the tense atmosphere that had developed yesterday was gone. 'But… what does this have to do with us?'

'Naturally, you three are going to participate in it,' Yuri said with her feet crossed on the wooden table.

The idiot that had disappeared yesterday was sitting straight-legged on the ground and resting his head against the wall. He didn't seem to be surprised, since his eyes didn't open. Beside me, Kanade had that blank expression on her face again.

'I had a feeling you'd say that…' I muttered. 'What I want to know is why you want us to join.'

Yuri looked surprised. 'Isn't that obvious? This is a friendly match between our school and Kaze High School.'

'So?'

'Are you even paying attention? Look at the list of players on the other team!'

I looked at the sheet of paper again. Our school was sending regular players on the team, but I knew none of the players from the other team. After all, how should I? I had no business with the baseball team, let alone a baseball team from another school!

_Wait, something caught my eye… Amidst the nine players that will be playing for the other school, one is…_

No way!

'Hinata? Hinata will be playing for Kaze High?' I exclaimed.

'That's right. This will be Operation: Retrieval again. This time, Kanade will be joining you as well.'

'But… what do you want us to do?'

'What else! You need to secure three places on the team. Make sure you're playing for our school. Persuasion, violence… do whatever you need to. That's the first step. We'll figure out the rest later.'

_Don't say such things with a straight face._ 'But, Yuri,' I protested. 'All the members that will be participating have already been chosen! Doesn't this say here that members of our school's baseball team will be joining? And what's more, the match is tomorrow!'

'Don't give me excuses. You _will_ succeed this time, or else it's the penalty death game!' Yuri shot me a glare.

My eyebrows twitched. 'Hey, wait a minute. What about the message?' I gestured at the computer Kanade had taken from the storage room that was now sitting on top of the wooden table beside Yuri's. 'Don't tell me you don't intend to get to the bottom of it!'

'Oh, we will,' Yuri said. 'But this takes priority for now. This is a chance we can't miss! Retrieve Hinata at all costs. Operation start!'

/ / / / / / / / / /

'Secure three places, huh? This should be a piece of cake,' Noda says with a smirk as he, Kanade and I headed for the baseball field. Our school wasn't large enough to have one, so the match would be held in a nearby baseball field, about half-a-mile away next to the Girls' Dorm.

To be honest, securing places wasn't what I was worried about most. After the ruckus we'd caused yesterday in the Girls' Dorm, I would hate to be recognized by one or two girl students.

'Don't worry,' Noda said. 'It was midnight, and we managed to escape quickly. I doubt anyone has taken a good look at our faces.'

_You're way too optimistic… And I still can't believe you really had the guts to pull those stunts off… _

'And the teachers got really angry this morning too,' Kanade said beside me. 'Remember what they said when they found out the teachers' lounge had been broken into?'

'Yeah, they were so pissed off,' I agreed and shuddered. 'It was so scary. I seriously hope we won't get caught.'

Noda scoffed. 'You wimp.'

'We're here,' Kanade said.

It was almost 5 p.m. The evening sun had yet to set behind the mountains. The field was gleaming with light and tiny motion; the baseball team from our school was practicing amongst themselves. Figured. They had an important match tomorrow, after all.

Noda was the first to speak up after we'd entered the field. 'Who here is the captain?'

The whole scene froze as the team turned towards us, and their stares hurt, though I seemed to be the only one who was feeling uneasy. Noda was wearing a confident smile, and Kanade's face was blank.

A tall, tanned third-year student of massive physique wearing a white baseball cap and uniform walked toward us. 'That would be me.' His voice was deep. 'Who are you? What business do you have here?'

'We want you to give us three places on the team for tomorrow's match!' Noda said confidently with a finger pointing straight at the captain's face.

I put a hand on my forehead. _We're so dead._

'You want… three places?' The captain looked like he couldn't believe a thing he had just heard. 'Do you mean tomorrow's friendly match against Kaze High?'

Noda brushed his nose once and smiled. 'Of course.'

'I'm sorry, I must be missing something here,' the captain said with a frown. 'Did our coach send you? One of the teachers maybe?'

'Nope, we came of our own accord.'

I could hear other members of the baseball team start mumbling. _'Are they out of their minds?'_ and _'Who do they think they are?'_ were two of many I overheard.

'Come on, captain, we don't have time to deal with these idiots! We've still got a game to play!' one of the younger members shouted.

'Yeah!' a few other members chimed in. Their voices were loud though they were far away.

'Hey, be quiet,' the captain said calmly before turning to us again. 'I'm sorry, but all the participants have already been picked. Unless I've got permission from our coach, I'm not authorized to give you permission to play in the match. Maybe you would like to join the team during our next tryout? You can check out our recruitment poster on the second floor of the school's main building, if you're interested. Now, if you'll excuse me.'

He turned to leave, but Noda grabbed him by the sleeve. The captain looked over his shoulder with a glare in his eyes.

'In that case,' Noda said with a smirk. 'We'll challenge you! If we win, give us our places; if we lose, we'll clean each and every baseball for ya.'

'Hey, stop,' I said and grabbed his shoulder. 'This is enough! He's made his point. There's nothing we can do.'

Noda flung his shoulder out of my grasp. Then he pointed his giant axe at the captain with a swing and said in a dark voice, 'Yes there is.'

The captain didn't seem to be intimidated by Noda's aggressive move. Instead, he seemed amused.

He laughed once. 'You? Challenge us? You really don't know your place, kid. Besides, you don't even have enough members.' He paused. 'But since you're so determined, I guess one game won't hurt. Come back here when you've got enough nine players on your team. We'll be training here until eight at night. Just remember your promise.'

'But captain!' someone on the team immediately protested.

The captain waved his hand. 'If they win, we can count them as backups, though the chance of even that happening is pretty slim.'

'No way,' Noda said in that dark voice that sent chills down your spine. 'There are three members on our team, and it will stay that way. We're not challenging you to a normal game. We just want to see who the stronger player here is. We're having this dual my way.'

The captain seemed even more intrigued. 'What do you suggest?'

Noda brushed his nose again. 'Send three of your strongest players and choose a pitcher. The three of us will take turns batting, and we will count the number of home-runs we get. The same goes for your team. Whichever team gets the higher number of home-runs wins. Substitutions are allowed for pitchers any time in the game. Got it?'

The captain smiled. 'I understand.'

_This is crazy!_ I thought. _Even if we're playing against amateurs, I won't be able to hit a home-run that easily. And Noda's suggesting they send the strongest players against us. The dual's in their bag already… _I scanned the field and met the angry stares the team members were throwing at us. _On second thought, this way, the game will end quickly, and Yuri can't blame us if we've tried our best already, right?_

'Then… Let's go!' Noda shouted and punched the air.

Kanade and I waited as Noda went and borrowed three bats from the team. Then he thrust two of them at us. Kanade received one and I reluctantly took mine as well.

'So… how should we decide the batting order?'

'I'll play last,' Noda said. 'You two choose first and second places.'

'I'll play first, okay?' I asked, and Kanade nodded.

I did some stretches to warm myself up before heading towards the home plate. The assigned pitcher on the school's baseball team giving me an intense look was a little kid no taller than Kanade. He was toying with a baseball in his hands while glaring at me and smirking all at the same time. I guessed they were trying to make fun of us.

'Not at all,' the captain said calmly before patting his short teammate's shoulder. 'This guy was a legend in his junior high school days. You'll lose faster than you think if you underestimate him.'

_A legend, huh? I thought they wanted to humiliate us with some weak players, but it looks like their intention is to end this dual as quickly as they can. Well, I guess that's good for us, since we'll only be wasting time here._

'Play ball!' the catcher behind me shouted. I pulled my bat slowly backwards and bent my legs slightly to hold a ready stance. The small pitcher turned his body and raised his left leg. And then…

_Thud. _'Strike one!' the catcher behind me shouted before I could even swing the bat. One second he was still holding the baseball, and the next I was looking at afterimages of his pitching motion. Even the air was still around me; I couldn't even feel the rushing wind.

The catcher threw the ball back and I shook my head to concentrate. I knew from the beginning that we'd lose, but I still had to give it my best…

'What do you think you're doing, punk?' Noda started shouting. 'Swing the bat, you idiot. Swing the bat!'

_I'm trying…_ I thought without bothering to turn around just to be glared at by Noda. I needed to concentrate.

_Thud. _'Strike two!' the catcher shouted. My mind didn't catch the motion at all. _Dang… he's fast._

'Damn it, Otonashi.' Noda threw his axe to the ground furiously before picking it back up. 'Don't just stand there.'

I grunted. _This is my last chance,_ I thought as the catcher threw the ball back again. _I have to get it no matter what._

I shut my eyes and channeled all my energy to my hands. I didn't really know how to do that but I did my best anyway.

My eyes flew open, my concentration level at 100%. Time seemed to have slowed down a little as the pitcher raised his right hand and foot. I didn't wait for my mind to register the pitching motion. I swung the bat.

_Thud. _'Strike three! You're out!'

I hung my head and dragged the bat across the floor as I made my way back. I didn't know I would be _this _bad…

'These guys are a bunch of jokers,' the young pitcher scoffed. His voice was high-pitched and definitely childlike.

'Oh yeah?' Noda shouted at him, completely pissed off. 'Let's see how you handle my batting!' He rolled up his sleeve and looked ready to go.

'Hey, wait,' I said as I stopped him. 'It's Kanade's turn.'

I could see he still had the urge, but he restrained himself eventually. 'Hmph.'

I turned to the blank-faced white-haired girl. 'Be careful, okay?'

Kanade nodded and headed towards the home plate.

I had to be really honest. Among us three, I had the highest hope for Kanade's batting. I remembered well the baseball showdown between her team and Hinata's team back in the Afterworld. She had been the leader back then, and had led the entire school team. Though our team had won that game, it was due more to luck and other factors than to true abilities.

Speaking of true abilities, if she did have the Angel Player software right now – a lot had happened yesterday (or this morning, to be exact) that had already convinced me something like that really could exist in the real world – maybe she could write a 'home-run' program, or more generally an 'accuracy' program or whatever. I was sure they could come in handy…

Therefore, it really surprised me when Kanade had three consecutive strike-outs. She didn't even attempt to swing the bat. She was out faster than even I was.

'Damn it, you two never do anything right,' Noda grunted as he walked up to the home-plate with his bat in one hand and his axe in another. 'I can't tidy up after you in every single mission, you know.'

_That's funny. I recall you being the one who broke everything during our last mission, we have yet to tidy up after you…_ I thought as I stole a glance at the Girls' Dorm.

Noda marched towards the home plate.

'So finally it's your turn, huh?,' the pitching kid said in a smug voice. 'Don't worry. I'll take care of you in less than two minutes.'

Noda scoffed. 'You better start taking me seriously, punk. Just watch as I send your balls over the fence one by one.'

The kid laughed. 'I'd really like to see you do that. Oh, I know. Let me pitch an easy one for you first. I don't want you crying in the baseball field if you can't secure one hit, let alone a home-run.' I frowned. The kid was starting to get on my nerves…

I had fully expected Noda to explode right about now, but surprisingly he kept his cool. 'Don't make me laugh.'

'Are you ready?' the kid asked.

Noda ignored him and gripped his bat tightly in one hand, while still holding his stupid axe in another.

The kid pulled back his body and threw the ball.

_Wham!_ Noda hit it right in the centre of the bat with one hand and did a weird follow-through. The loud impact suggested that it was going to soar for some time. My gaze followed the ball until it landed safely outside the fence.

'Hah! Take that, you punk,' Noda shouted.

'I- It's a home run…' I mumbled. I couldn't believe it. Even as a spectator, I couldn't see the pitch clearly, but Noda had no trouble sending it flying.

Even the whole team looked surprised as some of them began whispering in awe. The kid was especially pissed off. He grunted and shouted, 'Don't be so full of yourself. That was just a lucky hit!'

The sneer returned to Noda's face. 'We'll see about that.'

The kid gritted his teeth and pitched.

_Wham._ Noda hit another home-run with an identical hit and follow-through. Then he hit a third one and a fourth one. It was like he was on a roll.

'Wow, I never knew Noda could hit like that,' I said, half to myself and half Kanade, who was standing beside me.

'Mm-hmm' was the answer she gave me.

'Okay, that's enough,' the captain said calmly as he laid a hand on the fuming little guy's shoulder. 'You did a great job.' He turned to Noda and said calmly, 'I'll admit it, you _are_ a better batter than those two…' _Hey I heard that… what does 'those two' mean?_

'But if you think you're ready to take on the team, you're dead wrong,' the captain continued. 'Substitution!'

'Hmph, you're finally taking me seriously, are you?' Noda scoffed. 'It doesn't matter if you're the captain or not. You can send a hundred pitchers at once for all I care. I'm still going to hit them all over the fence.'

The angry stares on the baseball team returned. And if any of them were impressed by Noda's batting, they didn't show it. _Noda sure knows how to piss people off…_

Again, the captain didn't seem to be thrown off by Noda's verbal challenge. Instead he walked up to the pitcher's mound quietly. Then he pitched.

It was nowhere near as fast as the kid's pitches, and for a second there I thought Noda was going to have it real easy. But just when the bat was going to come in contact with the ball, the ball suddenly ducked and flew into the catcher's glove.

It was a wicked curveball.

'Go captain!' 'Nice pitch, captain!' 'That's our captain for ya!' 'How do you like that, you moron?' The shouts from the team instantly filled the field.

_So that's it._ A thought suddenly occurred to me. It suddenly became obvious to me why Noda could handle the kid's pitching and not the captain's. Noda wasn't really that good at baseball; he just had the brute strength to go with it. Sure, the pitches from the kid were fast, but they were just fastballs, and the pitches were always going in the same direction. When Noda saw that after he watched me and Kanade play, it shouldn't have taken him long to realize all he had to do was bat in the same way again and again…

Of course, you would be an idiot if you couldn't guess what happened next. Noda was a good pitcher, considering the sheer force was enough to knock away the bats from our opponents' hands. Even the captain's bat was nearly thrown off course. In the end, though, we still lost, and the scores were 7-to-4. By the end of the dual, the sun was invisible to us and the moon was making its way above our heads. We had officially failed another mission.

That wasn't the worse part. Noda volunteered to go back and report immediately after the dual. He took off running before we – or at least, I – could raise any objections. Naturally he didn't come back to fulfill his promise. And Kanade and I were the ones who had to wash the baseballs until dark because of that. _I swear. When it comes to things like that, Noda's really smart…_

Hey, at least our mission was finished, right? Seriously, did we really need to play in the match to get to Hinata? Of course I knew that would be the most convenient way, but we could always speak to him after the match, right?

I was just about to trudge over to our supposed hideout and propose that to Yuri the next day after school, when I heard a ruckus on my way downstairs. It was the second floor where all the junior classrooms were located. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some students wearing white baseball caps and uniforms. In the centre of the group was Noda.

'The pitcher you played yesterday, Shizuki, called in sick and can't make it in today's match.' The captain's deep voice was loud and clear across the corridor.

'We want you to play in his place. We want you on the team.'

* * *

><p><strong>I seriously hope I didn't write the baseball scene too badly. I'm not too familiar with baseball. Fine, I haven't played baseball once in my life. So if you think the scene was a bit strange, please do tell me~<strong>

**Anyway, until the next chapter :D**


	8. Chapter 7: The match and the window

**Two chapters in one day! Hooray for me XD  
>This chapter is what you all have been waiting for! (At least it is one of the chapters I have been waiting for )<br>Anyway, huge thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favs. Enjoy the story :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 – The match and the window<p>

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

You know how you feel out of place when you try to blend in with people you don't know? Well, that's how I felt as I held a walkie-talkie in my hand and sat with members of the baseball team who weren't going to participate or were going to play as backups.

The friendly match was scheduled today at five p.m., and Kanade couldn't make it because of some errand, and I hadn't expected Yuri to come in the first place, since she was used to ordering us around in the background.

It was even more unnerving that some regular players on the benches were starting to gossip about how Noda wasn't supposed to be on the team and how they didn't understand the captain's decision to bring him along. I started to think they were deliberately saying that out loud so that I could hear.

In any case, I was waiting for the other team to arrive while the nine selected players were practicing in the field.

It looked like I wasn't the only one out of place. Noda looked really stupid in a white uniform. And while the captain and the other players were doing warm-up exercises, Noda was swinging his bat around, acting crazy.

I looked at my walkie-talkie again as I mentally went over the briefing Yuri had given me after I had hurried over to the hideout for a quick report.

'_Noda's the only one on the team. That means he's the only one who gets to play with Hinata in the game.'_ _Yuri had said thoughtfully_. _'Otonashi, get Noda to think of something so that by the time the game ends, he'll have remembered all of us.'_

'_Why the rush?' I asked._

'_I need him to do something for me,' Yuri said with a serious look on her face. 'If Noda can pull that off, I believe we can have two members back today instead of one.'_

'_You _are_ referring to Yui, right?' I asked._

'_That's right. I believe he's the key to Yui's awakening.' _Awakening?_ I thought with a drop of sweat on my forehead._ That's a strange word to use…

'_Well, he did say he loved her, didn't he?' Yuri said when she saw my dumbfounded face. 'If we can get them to meet, maybe they'll both have their memories back, at the same time! It's a bit like you and Kanade.' _Again… please don't say these things in such a tone. Romance is a serious thing…

There was a huge error in Yuri's logic though. _'But then…' I said. 'If you think their meeting is the only way they're ever going to remember, how do you think Noda can do it?'_

Yuri didn't answer that one, and that was pretty much how it went down. I had also told Noda everything on our way to the field. I was still thinking when someone gasped from behind me. Almost immediately others also started exclaiming. 'They're here.'

I directed my gaze at the entrance. A team was slowly marching this way, and the person leading the way was a blue-haired boy. _Hinata…_

'Hmm,' Noda said with a smile as he straightened up. The whole team gathered together.

Our captain reached out his hand. 'Thank you very much for coming.'

Noda cut him off from the side, brushing his hand away, and looked dead straight into Hinata's eyes. 'I'm gonna crush you, punk.'

Captain smacked Noda on the head before saying, 'I apologize for his rude behavior. He's not used to being around people, and tends to have… anxiety issues.'

'I… what?' Noda shouted as he held his head. 'How dare you say that about me?'

The blue-haired boy waved his hands. 'Haha, don't worry about it. It's nothing. I really look forward to this match.'

'Thank you, and so do I,' Captain said.

**Hinata Hideki**

_It's the first inning, and I have to boost the team's confidence…_ I thought as I held a batting posture.

The pitcher from the other team was the guy that had shouted at me when I came. He had that intent look in his eyes that really got me on edge. But there was something else about him that threw me off. What was it…

That's right. It was his axe. It looked like a halberd. You don't see people carrying axes to school every day, but somehow it felt familiar. Like I had seen it before…

And there was his impossible wild purple hair. Why did I keep getting the feeling that I had seen him somewhere before?

I shook my head._ I need my confidence. I don't want to look bad as the captain of a team._

I pushed those thoughts aside and got ready to bat. I eyed my teammates standing at their respective positions.

'Hinata!' that purple-haired pitcher suddenly said just when he threw the ball. 'This is for tricking me into playing your stupid baseball games when we were in the Afterlife!'

It was a very strong fastball. I knew where I had to hit, but my mind was still in a state of shock. _Afterlife? What is he talking about? We've played baseball together?_

All those thoughts caused me to swing the bat a moment late. I would have hit the ball dead in the center, but instead, the ball hit the top of my bat and bounced off backwards.

The force was so strong the ball even flew across the park into the Dorm area… My gaze followed the ball until…

_Clank!_

I flinched as I heard the sound of shattering glass.

I opened my eyes cautiously. I had just broken a window in a Dorm. And it wasn't just any Dorm, it was the Girls' Dorm of another school…

I looked at my teammates for help, but they were only throwing ugly snickers at me.

I sighed. One minute into the game and I was already out. I knew I had to apologize and retrieve the ball no matter what, but whoever it was that had a broken window now must be raging, and I couldn't help but shudder.

In the end, though, I had to muster all my courage and called out, 'Kawahashi, you're in!'

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

_Of course! This has to be it._ _Why couldn't I think of this before! _I thought as Hinata still stood at a loss at the home plate._ Hinata _has_ to break the window. This is his fate in this world, after he's made Yui the promise._

I nodded to myself as it became clearer. _It wasn't just because of sheer misfortune that Noda and I couldn't find Yui two days ago. It was because we were never _meant_ to find her. This is Hinata's job._

I could already anticipate what would happen. He would go up the broken stairs into Room 206, the room I was sure he had just broken with his baseball. He would hit it off with Yui, and they would live happily ever after. _No… 'Remember' is the more suitable word. _They would remember and they would join up with us again.

At least, that was what I first thought… I had completely forgotten the windows of Room 206 had already been shattered by Noda two days ago already. I had no idea of knowing my 'anticipation' would crumble like a building built on soft sand.

'Kawahashi, you're in!' his distant voice called out as he began making his way to the entrance.

I remembered what Yuri had said just about an hour ago. This would be my chance.

**Hinata Hideki**

'Hey, wait up!' A guy suddenly called out behind me just as I was about to leave the baseball field.

I turned my head and found a pale-red-haired guy running towards me.

'What is it? Who are you?' I asked.

He was panting a bit when he said, 'You don't remember me, do you?' Then he sighed. 'I guess it doesn't matter now. You're going to apologize to Yui, aren't you?'

'Yui?' I cocked my head. 'Who the heck is Yui?'

'Oh right, you don't know yet, haha,' the guy said as he touched his head and laughed.

'Hey, why are you following me?' I asked again.

'You don't need to know. You wouldn't understand even if I told you. But I'm so glad to finally have you back, Hinata!' He was looking at me with such an affectionate look…

I reflexively jerked away and made a face. 'Are you gay?'

'Hey,' he shouted and his face turned scary. 'As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who's gay here.'

'What's that supposed to mean!' I shouted back.

'Never mind,' he said and winked at me. 'Get a move on. Your girlfriend's waiting.' _This guy is seriously out of his mind…_

I sighed. 'Do whatever you want. It's not like I can stop you from following me. Hey, you might even be useful as my scapegoat.' I laughed and continued walking.

'What was that?' he shouted from behind me.

'Haha, I was just joking, man,' I said as I waved my hand.

That was when I noticed a pink dot rushing this way in the distance. I couldn't make out what the raging girl looked like as she kept running, but I could see she was holding a huge broom in one hand, and something that looked like a baseball in the other.

'Who the hell broke my window!' her shout grew louder as she approached us. Her voice was slightly high-pitched, but it sounded familiar.

I flinched and bowed quickly. 'I'm so sorry. It was an accident. I didn't mean it.' Words of apology shot from my mouth.

'Take that, you jerk!' the girl shouted. I was still bowing as I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. The force knocked off my balance and I fell to the ground. From my position, I could see the weird orange-haired guy and the baseball field clearly behind me, since I hadn't really got too far away when I was interrupted, and the newly unfolded scene had captured some of my teammates' attention.

'And that!' I flinched again as a sharp pain tore through my body again with the unreasonable girl beating me with her broom. 'You're also the one who broke the door and the windows of my room two days ago, aren't you! How dare you do that to me! It was my newly assigned room too…' She said that in a slightly sad voice at the end.

I coughed and clutched my stomach. 'Hey, what was that for!' I winced as I tried to get up. 'It's not like I'm refusing to pay for repairs, and what's that stuff about breaking –'

My words trailed off as I raised my head and saw her. I suddenly felt a strange sensation, and I was no longer able to speak.

She started shouting again, but I couldn't hear a word she was saying. A girl with long, pinkish hair with two bunches tied up with purple laces. The twintails on the side of her face… The angelic baby face… They all seemed to trigger something in my mind simultaneously.

She was jabbing her finger at me now, though I had no idea what she was talking about anymore. I was too focused on identifying that strange sensation that continued welling up inside me.

_Think, Hinata. You have seen this girl before._ My head started to hurt. _Think!_

I held my head. It was almost too painful too bear. I could say she wasn't a student from my school, judging from her uniform. _Maybe she's my junior high classmate?_ I thought, but I knew that couldn't be true. The feelings went way deeper than that…

I moved my gaze towards her slightly exposed belly and her stockings. They held no clue either. _What am I missing here?_

She must have noticed me watching her all over, since her right hand started clenching into a fist. And with a shout that said 'Pervert!', she hit me full-force in the face.

Under these most unlikely circumstances, everything clicked. All it took was that brief moment, the moment her hand touched my cheek. Everything that had happened flashed before my eyes.

'_There's still one thing I want. Marriage. It's the ultimate happiness for a girl,' a pink-haired girl said with the saddest look on her face._

'_But I couldn't do chores or laundry. I couldn't do anything on my own. I was just some annoying baggage in the way. Who would want to marry me? God is so cruel. He stole all my happiness away. He's such a mean God. He's such a big meanie.'_

'_I'll marry you!' I shouted. 'I'll marry you. I'm serious. I mean it, Yui.'_

'_You wouldn't… I mean, you don't… know the real me, do you?'_

'_No matter what you were like, or what you'd done in your previous life, I'd still marry you today. No matter what type of terrible physical handicap you had.'_

'_You know, I couldn't walk, I couldn't stand...'_

'_I said, no matter the handicap!'_

_She gasped._

'Even if you couldn't stand and walk, even if you couldn't have kids, even so, I'd still marry you,' I started saying as I sat up and slowly moved my gaze towards the pink-haired girl, who was now standing still with her fist in the air.

'I wanna be with you forever and ever. The Yui I met here wasn't a fake. You're Yui. No matter where we met, I would have fallen in love with you…'

Her hand started shaking slightly as she dropped her broom to the floor.

'Even though it's a one-in-a-six-billion chance we'd meet, even if you were already paralyzed when we met, I'd marry you. And I'd make you the happiest woman alive.'

'H-how… how do you know…' she was stumbling backwards, her body visibly shaking now.

'If only you'd say yes to me.'

'How do you know about my dream…' she gasped

'I'd be playing my baseball,' I went on. 'One day I'd send a baseball flying right through your window. That's how we'd meet.'

'Y-you're the guy from my dream.' Yui's voice was trembling as she put a hand on her mouth. 'You're that blue-haired guy.'

'Yes, Yui,' I said as I stood up. 'I'm gonna fulfill my promise.'

'S-senpai…'

I moved forward and embraced her in my arms. Tears started rolling down her eyes. 'Senpai…'

I stroked her back gently. 'I'm here.'

'Oh, Senpai…'

She buried her face in my chest and sobbed as I directed my gaze upwards. The sun had hid half its face behind the mountains. The setting was almost the same. All the memories rushed back and tears welled up in my eyes too.

I stroked her hair. 'Yui, I've missed you.'

'I've missed you too,' she said as she continued sobbing. She looked at me and smiled amidst tears. 'I can't believe it's really come true. You're really here.'

I hugged her tighter. 'Let's stay together, forever and ever.'

She rested her cheek against my chest. 'Yes. Let's do that.'

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><p><strong>And that's all for now. So, how did you like it? Please leave a review and let me know. I really love them :3<strong>


	9. Chapter 8: Diversion

**Hi! I'm so sorry for the late update. Darn, I'm behind schedule again :(**

**So, after rereading the prologue and chapter 7 again and again, I decided I had rushed the plot a bit. (I was never a good romance writer :( - but I'm working on it!) So, I just wanted to tell you I have plans for a reupdate. Expect a new and refined prologue and chapter 7 :D:D:D)**

**Also, there's been a minor amendment in chapter 1. The supposed one-week cleaning duty was too inconvenient and I changed it to a day. Really minor, but I still feel I need to tell you XD**

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><p>Chapter 8 – The diversion unit<p>

'Sweeeet!' Yuri exclaimed as her gaze swept across the faces of the four of us now entering the clubroom. 'Welcome back to you two, Hinata and Yui! Operation: Retrieval round 2 is a success!'

It was a really close call. I had managed to stop Hinata from opening the door so recklessly and deliver the correct password. A drop of sweat formed on my forehead as I considered the possibilities for a punishment.

'This place sure brings back memories…' The oblivious Hinata sighed as he inspected the room.

'Yeah, been long, hasn't it?' I said. 'I had the same feeling the first time I came here, though that was only a few days ago.'

'Yeah, 16 years… Can't believe it's been that long since I last visited this place,' he said, taking in everything he saw. 'Say, weren't there a few couches here somewhere? I'm exhausted.'

'Forget it. We don't even have more than one armchair here,' I said. 'Sit on the floor if you're tired.'

'Fine,' Hinata sighed as he plopped down on the floor and rested his body against a wall. 'Not that I don't like this room or anything, but I think our old hideout is better.'

'Quit complaining,' Yuri said. 'Unless the Principal wants to swap rooms with us, moving back is never going to happen.' She had a brilliant smile on her face even when she was scolding Hinata. _Guess that goes to show how really excited she is._

'I know,' Hinata sighed again before turning to me. 'Say, Otonashi, how long did it take you to find me and Yui? I suspect you and Noda aren't on the baseball team just for fun, are you? That was probably ordered by Yurippe, right? That's what she meant by Operation: Retrieval "round 2", isn't it?'

'Right on!' Yuri said with a smile before moving in front of the table and beginning her brief explanation. 'This hideout was officially established five days ago. We discovered Yui three days later, and we found out you were studying in Kaze High yesterday.'

'Five… days? Wow, Yurippe, I'm impressed. You've managed to gather so many of us here already?'

'Yep, that's our leader for you.' I said before adding, 'Actually, Noda and I aren't really on the baseball team. He got to play you because of a one-time invitation only. I doubt we'll ever go back now that we've accomplished our mission.'

'I guess,' Hinata said before looking down and tugging at his outfit once. 'Though I have to say, I'm really lucky this resembles your school's baseball team's uniform so much, otherwise I'd never have been able to come even halfway here without getting some kind of notice…'

'You're right,' Yuri cut in. 'That's why we need to think of another plan. We can't have you wearing your baseball uniform every time we need you in the hideout. That would raise suspicions for sure.'

'Oh, don't worry,' he said. 'I've already thought of a plan on my way here.'

'Really?' I couldn't tell if Yuri was looking surprised or impressed. 'Let's hear it, then.'

'Nah, I want it to be a surprise for all of you.' Hinata turned and winked at me.

'So… don't you need to get back to the team or something?' I asked as the question suddenly occurred to me. 'You're the captain, aren't you?'

'Oh, don't worry about that,' he said as he waved his hands. 'We would've parted ways and gone straight home anyway. This is much more important for me.' He winked again. It was starting to give me goosebumps…

I shuddered. 'I knew it. You still haven't got over your gayness issue yet.'

'Huh?' he shouted as he jumped to his feet. 'I'm NOT gay! How many times do I have to tell you that!'

I sighed. 'And I guess your stubbornness issue still gets you.'

'Hey! Don't say that about me! When I said this was important for me, I meant I finally got to meet you guys all over again. That _was_ why you asked me and Yui to come, wasn't it?'

I fell silent.

'We didn't ask you to come just to reminisce,' Yuri said, dead to the point. 'We need you back on the team.'

'On… the team? You don't mean…'

'Yes. Didn't you see the label on the door that said "SSS"? Don't tell me you've already forgotten what it means, have you?'

Hinata frowned. 'Of course not, but I naturally thought you used that name because of some sentimental value or something, not because you really wanted to start a battle here…'

Yuri sighed. 'I've already taken the trouble to explain it all to Otonashi, and I really don't want to repeat myself.'

Hinata seemed confused when he turned to look at me.

I refused to say anything.

'So…' Hinata said slowly and unsurely. 'We have an enemy? Is that what you're trying to tell me?'

'Yes,' Yuri said.

'… Angel?' he said in an even more unsure tone.

'Hey, don't drag Kanade into this!' I shouted. 'She's got nothing to do with it!'

Hinata raised his hands in defense.

'Don't forget you had the same reaction the first time, Otonashi,' Yuri said.

_No, the question I asked was rhetorical, while Hinata really meant his._

Yuri sighed and said, 'Very basically, shadows have reappeared. Students have been going missing.'

_You exaggerate. _I mentally reminded myself._ They've just been calling in sick._

'Shadows…' Hinata said as he covered his mouth in thought.

'That brings me to my question,' Yuri said. 'Is your school experiencing the same situation? Is any of your classmates absent for no reason?'

Hinata thought for a second. 'Hmm… can't say it is…'

'I see,' Yuri said. 'That's what I thought. The enemy is clearly targeting our school and our school only… but why?'

'So, the five of us are supposed to track down this 'enemy' and bring an end to all of this, are we?' Hinata asked.

_Five? _It took me only a brief moment to remember Kanade still wasn't here yet. 'Hey! Are you trying to leave Kanade out of this? She's also your teammate, you know,' I shouted.

'But I thought you said she didn't have anything to do with it!' Hinata protested in an innocent voice.

'Yeah, and by it I meant whatever plot the enemy was brewing. She's on our team. Don't you forget that!'

'Sorry I'm late!' Kanade's voice drifted into my ears as she came into the clubroom. She skipped toward me and smiled. 'I had class duty today.'

Speaking of the Angel…

'Angel!' Yui opened her mouth for the first time.

'Why, hello there.' Kanade flashed another smile at Yui. 'Welcome back, Yui!'

'Angel…'

'Yes? What is it?' _I guess Kanade is so used to being called Angel she didn't even think to correct Yui._

To my astonishment, Yui started gritting her sharp teeth as she pointed accusingly at Kanade and exploded, 'We haven't settled our score yet! You tried to confiscate my guitar the last time I saw you. I was a good vocalist. I wasn't killing the band! How dare you accuse me of that!'

Kanade grabbed my arm and hid half of her body behind me.

'Oh, come on, are you still going on about that?' I said. 'Besides, Kanade was just trying to help you.'

'By confiscating my guitar? I refuse to believe it!' Yui continued to flash her white, sharp teeth. 'You realized my talent and were jealous of me, weren't you? You took away my guitar because you didn't want to let me play!' she started nodding to herself and her mouth pulled down into an upside-down V.

I sighed. I really didn't want to start a long argument with her here, so I said, 'Don't worry, she promises never to take away your guitar again.' I turned my head. 'Right, Kanade?'

She nodded furiously.

'Why do you care so much anyway?' I went on. 'It's not like you own a guitar here in the real world.'

Yui stared at me. 'But I _do_ own a guitar. I keep it in my Dorm room.'

'Okay, that brings us to the first topic!' Yuri cut in, apparently having grown tired of all these meaningless conversations. 'Since there are six of us now, we can officially revive our diversion unit!'

Diversion unit? Girls Dead Monster?

I started. 'How do you expect that to happen when only one of us knows how to play the guitar?'

'Yeah, Yurippe,' Hinata chimed in. 'You don't honestly think Yui can hold a concert on her own, do you?'

There was a brief silence when Yuri shut her eyes and slightly lowered her head. 'Of course not,' she said calmly. 'The members of the diversion unit will be: Yui, Hinata, Noda, and Otonashi.'

Silence…

'Hey, wait a minute!' I protested. 'Didn't you hear me? None of us can't play the guitar except Yui!'

'And that's why you'll all need to learn from her,' Yuri said. 'Today is Friday, right? So you have two days to practice. Better hurry because on Sunday, you're going to take to the streets!'

'Take to the streets? Are we going on a protest or something?' Hinata asked as he cast a curious glance at me._ Don't look at me… Direct your questions to the person giving the orders…_

'Of course not! And that brings us to our second topic. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think we should try a different tactic.'

'Okay… do you mind elaborating?' I asked.

'For the past few days, we have actively taken action to find our teammates. But think about this: what if some of them have actually figured the truth out themselves but just can't find any way to contact us?' Yuri clenched her fists. 'That's why we need to get a message out. By participating in a street performance, you're sure to attract attention, and maybe one or two of our teammates will recognize the name "Girls Dead Monsters" and join us!' Yuri smiled brilliantly at the end.

'Okay… I think I understand,' I said. 'So you mean instead of us finding them, you think it's better if they find us.'

I heard Hinata whispering an _'I see'_ after my brief summary.

'Precisely.'

I sighed._ Finding someone that will recognize you in the middle of a street because of some crappy performance is almost another one-in-a-six-billionth chance._ But I wasn't stupid enough to voice my opposition. Yuri had set her mind on this one, so there was no backing down.

'I guess I can agree to it if Hinata and Noda are okay with this. Just one thing…' I said.

'What is it?'

'I need to take the morning off. My sister is still in the hospital and I haven't got the chance to visit her the past few days. I'd feel bad if I couldn't make it on Saturdays and Sundays too.'

Yuri's expression suddenly became much softer. 'Oh, of course. We can always start in the afternoon. Hey, maybe I can come with you on your visit. I'm sure she'd love that, right?'

'Thank you. That'd be nice.' It couldn't hurt to bring my friends along, since Yuri was kind enough to offer her company.

Kanade took my hand and squeezed it gently. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Why are you apologizing?'

She looked down. 'We've been so focused on other things I didn't even ask about your sister…'

I smiled. 'Don't worry about that.'

'So… do you mind if I come too?'

'Of course not. In fact, that makes me really happy,' I assured her.

Yuri interrupted. 'Why don't we _all_ go? Let's meet at the nearby train station at 8:00 a.m. sharp on Sunday. We'll all pay a visit to Otonashi's sister before the four of you start the street performance.'

'Well, I don't mind Hinata and Yui going,' I said. 'But I worry about my sister's safety if Noda's coming with us.'

Noda seemed to take offence as he stood and thrust his axe at me. 'What did you say, punk?'

'My point exactly.'

'Care to die?'

'Cut it out!' Yuri shouted. 'Honestly, what are you so worried about, Otonashi? You don't really think Noda would attack your sister or something, do you? Focus your energy on worrying about the guitar performance! Geez!'

'Hey, wait a minute, Yurippe,' Noda said. 'If you need me to be a member of the diversion unit, you'll need to change the name. GirlDeMo is such a sissy's name for us boys.'

'No way!' Yuri said. 'The whole aim of this mission is to spread the message that GirlDeMo is active. There's no sense in changing the name!'

'Then I won't do it.' Noda folded his arms. I was a little surprised there. I thought he would obey Yurippe's orders no matter what.

After a brief silence, Noda said, 'Don't worry, I've thought of a name that wouldn't ruin the whole aim of this operation, but still fit us perfectly.'

Yuri cast a curious glance at Noda. 'Oh, and what's that?'

He raised his index finger. 'Get ready for this. The name shall be BoDeMo!'

_Smack!_ Yuri had left a pink handprint on Noda's face. 'Are you trying to make fun of the diversion unit? The name is GirlDeMo, and it always will be!'

_Still, I have to admit,_ I thought._ "Boys Dead Monsters" has quite the ring to it._

But I knew Yuri wouldn't budge, so I didn't say anything.

'Oh, and before we go,' Yuri said as she went around the table and lifted the _other_ notebook from it. She opened the cover and after a while, the same message that had been haunting me for the last few days popped up. 'Does either of you know what this means?'

I stared at the computer-generated white words in the spooky black background. The broken five-word message creeped me out.

*** ******Ρ******Ρ*****Δ** ** ** **Δ********Ρ**

'What is this?' Hinata asked.

'Is this an IQ test or something?' Yui said as she put a finger on her lips.

'No. This is a message we believe given to us by the "enemy". We found it in the storage room in the middle of the night. Of course, there is the possibility this message wasn't directed at us in the first place, but we'll take any chances.'

'Sorry, I don't know what this triangle is,' Hinata said as he closely inspected the symbols.

'Okay, that means you're out,' Yuri said. 'What about you, Yui?'

'Do these stars mean anything?' Yui said.

Yuri sighed pulled away the computer and put it back on the wooden table. 'I guessed as much. There's not much we can do with this message, is there…'

'Well,' I said as an idea occurred to me. 'you can always ask the computer teachers.'

'Yeah, right.' Yuri flatly rejected my suggestion. 'And let them confiscate this computer? Don't be dumb. When it comes to decoding messages, only one person comes to mind. But we'll worry about that later. For now, you'll have to concentrate on Operation: Retrieval Round 3. It's the Penalty Death Game again if even one of you fails to play Iwasawa's songs! Now, dismissed!'

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><p><strong>Bye-ni XD Don't forget to review ;)<strong>


	10. Chapter 9: Sisterly love

**Quadruple update! Hazzah! I feel so proud of myself =w=**

**Posting these four chapters one by one would break the flow of the story, especially considering the little cliffhangar in one of them. Sorry for making you wait, but here they are! XD**

**Another thing, I realized I'd made two mistakes in the previous chapter. First, I named the band 'GiDeMo' when it should have been 'GirlDeMo', which Gitah-Muttan was kind enough to point out to me. Second, I wrote 'distraction' instead of 'diversion', a mistake I noticed when I watched certain episodes again for ideas.**

**(I can't believe it. I totally missed three minutes of the Angel Beats! series! Apparently, there's a short 3-min clip titled 'Another Epilogue'. And I swear, it was the best three minutes of... yesterday XD. And I called myself a die-hard Angel Beats! fan T^T I should be ashamed. Well, if any of you hasn't checked that out yet, be sure to watch it. You'll regret it if you don't. It was SOOOOOOOOOO good!)**

**Okay, that's enough babbling. XD Enjoy the story~~~**

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><p>Chapter 9 – Sisterly love<p>

I entered the room where my sister was hospitalized, smelling the familiar scent of disinfectants and anesthetics.

The familiar surroundings greeted me. The pot of sunflowers I had given her was still resting on the windowsill. The morning sun outside was shining gently, casting a light shadow over the hospital bed.

She smiled hopefully when she saw me. 'Brother.' She strained to sit upright, adjusting her pillow and resting her back against it.

I closed the door behind me and sat in the chair beside the bed. 'How are you feeling today?'

Her tone was cheerful. 'The doctors take very good care of me. I feel a lot better today.' She held her hands together and said, 'I'm so glad you came to visit me today, brother. Thank you.'

I looked down. I didn't deserve the thank you. I hadn't visited my sister for almost a whole week, yet she was still so optimistic, so thankful to me…

'I'm so sorry,' I said in a low voice.

'What for?' she asked softly.

I continued to hang my head down. 'It's already been a week since I last visited. I didn't even come yesterday…'

I felt a soft touch to my chin. The gentle force offered by Hatsune's small hand lifted my head back up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw she was wearing the silver bracelet I'd bought her for her birthday over a week ago. The same day I saw Kanade for the first time…

I could see her leaned body and her loving face as she said, 'Don't worry. I'm just so very happy you're here. Thank you, brother.'

I grabbed her outreached hand. It felt warm to the touch. 'No. Thank _you_, Hatsune.'

'So,' I said when I picked my spirits back up. I reached into the backpack I was still holding and produced a book.

She gasped with delight as she took the manga. I savored this moment of happiness as she opened the wrapping and flipped it open. Her smile got wider as she turned to look at me through wide, appreciative eyes. 'You remember!'

'That's not all.' I smiled. I reached into the bag again and produced four more manga books. 'I didn't want you to be bored on a Sunday, so I bought the whole series for you.' I stacked them on the table beside me.

She looked at the stack of manga books with sparkling, fluttering eyes. Seeing her this happy made me happy.

She stared at the books for a little while. Then, to my surprise, she slowly hung her head down.

'What's the matter?' I asked.

The hands holding the first manga book started trembling slightly. 'I wish… I wish I could be home with you, so we could read them together.' Small teardrops fell and soaked the white blanket.

'Hey...' I said gently. I pulled my chair closer to the bed and put a hand on her shoulder. 'I'm right here,' I reassured her. 'We can read together if you want to.'

I pulled out a tissue from a nearby tissue box, and gently wiped the tears off her face. I tapped her nose once and chuckled. 'Silly girl.'

She also chuckled once.

I leaned closer and we began reading from the first page. Sometimes she would giggle and give comments. Other times she would exclaim in delight or break down in tears as the story progressed. I never liked manga, but I felt another kind of joy when my sister shared her feelings with me. It was a heartwarming feeling, and I knew nothing could ever replace it.

'You know, I've got an even bigger present for you today,' I said after my sister delivered another hearty comment.

She looked up at me curiously. 'A bigger present?'

'Yep, but they aren't here yet.' I checked my watch. _7:45._ 'Actually, they'll be arriving soon.'

Her curious eyes widened. 'You're having more manga delivered to the hospital, brother?'

I chuckled once. 'No, it's something I know you'll love even more than manga.'

'Something I love… even more than manga?' Her eyes shimmered with hope again.

I smiled. 'Do you remember telling me how much you wanted to study and make friends?'

She nodded.

'Well, I'm bringing some of my friends along today, and they can't wait to meet you.' I rubbed her hair gently. 'Aren't you excited? You get to make friends here!'

'Friends…' She gazed down at her hands.

I cocked my head. 'What's the matter?' I had thought that would surely pick her up, but instead she seemed… sad. _Was it something I said?_

After a moment, she looked up at me and smiled. 'I'm sorry. I just felt a little nervous, that's all. I'd really love to meet your friends.'

'Silly. There's nothing to be nervous about. They're gonna love you. You're going to make lots of friends today,' I assured her.

I got up to my feet. 'Well, I'd better head down and meet them first.' I waved my hand as I walked toward the door, leaving my backpack behind. 'I'll be back in a bit.'

/ / / / / / / / / /

_7:55_. They were already here. In the middle of the waiting group was our leader, Yuri. Hinata, Noda and Yui were each carrying a guitar. Even Kanade was holding one herself. Upon closer look, though, I realized it was mine.

'Thank you so much for coming today. I really appreciate it,' I said as I approached the waiting team.

'You left it in the clubroom yesterday. Here,' Kanade said cheerfully as she handed me the guitar.

_Oh, and in case you're wondering how me, Hinata and Noda got our hands on some guitars, we sort of 'borrowed' them from the Guitar Club just one floor below ours. So when I said 'my guitar', I didn't really mean it literally. But don't worry. We're going to return them as soon as we finish the operation. I just hope no one notices someone has been tampering with their equipment…_

There was something about Noda that seemed off. _Ah, that's right. He doesn't have his axe with him. That's unusual…_

'Not quite. Yuri was very persuasive,' Hinata explained.

'Of course,' Yuri said. 'Hospitals don't allow visitors who carry an axe around, do they?' Then she whispered to me, 'You better be grateful for this.'

I smiled.

Noda snorted.

'Okay then, let's go!' Yuri shouted with her fist in the air.

/ / / / / / / / / /

'Welcome back, big brother!' Hatsune said to me. I was the first one to enter.

I pulled up some chairs that were resting against a wall and unfolded them, placing them neatly around the hospital bed.

'Hiya, little sister!' Yuri said as she plopped down in a chair.

'Hi!' Hatsune said with a smile. 'Thank you so much for coming.'

Noda tensed up and stood in a corner while the rest of us took our respective seats. I wondered what was going on in his mind. _The least you could do is show a little friendliness…_

I had been kind of worried that my sister would feel uneasy with so many visitors, especially after she said she was feeling kind of nervous, but I could see she was really happy.

I began the introductions. 'Hatsune, this is Hinata. He's a respectable baseball player, but he's a little gay.'

'Hey!' Hinata immediately protested and I suppressed a chuckle.

'The one standing over there is Noda. He usually carries a giant axe around and is a bit of a nutcase, so be careful.'

Noda didn't seem to take offence, which was a bit strange.

'The one sitting right in front of you is Yuri. She's the leader of a little team we've formed.'

'Team?' Hatsune's curious eyes widened. 'What kind of team?'

'It's something called an SSS club,' Yuri explained. 'We're all members.'

'Wow, sounds like fun.' Hatsune's eyes grew hopeful. 'I wish I could join.'

I smiled. 'Once you get better, ok?' Then I went on, 'This is Yui. She may look small, but she's actually just one year younger than your brother.'

'It's very nice to meet you,' Yui said cheerfully before suddenly shouting at me, 'Who are you calling small!'

'And last but not least, sitting on your right is Kanade.'

Kanade bowed slightly and smiled. 'It's very nice to meet you, little sister.'

'Kanade?' Hatsune asked before turning towards me. 'Is she your girlfriend you've been telling me so much about, big brother?'

I flushed and shifted uneasily in my chair. I wasn't going to bring that up.

'She's awfully pretty,' Hatsune said admiringly.

Now it was Kanade's turn to blush as she looked away.

I sneaked a glance at Kanade. Her hair was still tied into a tiny ponytail, a hairstyle she only used in this world. To be honest, this fit her even better than her wearing her hair long. She really _was_ pretty.

That was how the introductions went. The atmosphere was a little awkward at first, but it didn't take long for Yui to hit it off with my little sister. They started talking about music and high school life. The rest of us joined in the conversation. We talked and laughed. Even Noda eventually took his seat and shared his comments occasionally.

My sister also noticed all the guitars we had brought with us. Yui volunteered to play my sister a little get-well song while Kanade volunteered to sing along. The melody was soothing.

They were really starting to look like close friends. My sister's wish had finally been fulfilled.

I sank into my thoughts as they started another topic of conversation.

Even since she was very little, Hatsune had that special quality about her. Everyone just wanted to be her friend. She was fun to be with. She got along with everyone…

That touched my soft spot. She was such a nice person, yet she had fallen victim to cancer and was bound to the hospital bed… It reminded me of how unjust life was for her. She shouldn't be here. She should be studying and making friends like any other normal middle-school child. God was so unfair…

By the time we decided to leave, it was almost 3 p.m. None of us had had lunch yet, but my friends didn't seem to mind. Even Yuri didn't mind pushing the operation further down the timeline, though she had always been the one to stress the importance of these operations…

I really felt happy for Hatsune.

'I promise I'll come visit you again tomorrow, okay?' I said as I grabbed my backpack.

Hatsune nodded happily.

'We'll see you again soon, little sister!' Yuri said.

'Don't worry, little sister. The get-well song is sure to take effect and you'll be out of the hospital in no time,' Yui said cheerfully.

Hinata had teary eyes when he said, 'Hatsune, can you be _my_ little sister?'

Hatsune chuckled as I smacked Hinata on his head. 'Get a move on, will you?'

'Ouch…' he said and dragged himself out of the room, almost unwillingly.

Even Noda gave a proper goodbye.

Kanade and I were the last to leave. I waved goodbye to my little sister, slowly closing the door behind me.

I couldn't hear the faint 'thank you, big brother' that Hatsune whispered after me.


	11. Chapter 10: Boys Dead Monsters!

**QU: Part 2/4**

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><p>Chapter 10 – Boys Dead Monsters!<p>

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

We all had lunch at a random cafe, my sister still the topic of conversation. After that, Yuri and Kanade left, while Yui, Hinata, Noda and I were stuck with the performance we had prepared only a little over one day for. I was suddenly feeling kind of nervous.

I guessed it shouldn't bother me that much. This really didn't mean that much to me. But I still flinched whenever I pictured the stares all the pedestrians were going to throw at us because of the almost guaranteed bad performance.

It _would_ be worth it if we could find a teammate or two, but Yuri had been very unpersuasive. I'd mentioned it before, but I seriously doubted out of the 127 million people in Japan, someone like Ōyama or Matsushita, who couldn't care less about music, was going to notice us in the middle of some street.

_Still… there is someone. _I suddenly reminded myself. _What if… someone from the real GirlDeMo rock band notices us playing?_

If we got Hinata and Yui back because of a baseball match, then there shouldn't be any problem with having Iwasawa, Hisako, Irie or Sekine back because of a performance, should there?

Still, that would be too convenient. Of course it wouldn't play out like that. I knew my little wish would be nothing but a wish.

I was wrong.

We picked a spot just outside the train station and started setting the 'stage'. I was responsible for bringing the banner and the black sunglasses, which I had put in my backpack. After distributing the glasses out and laughing at the silly look of Noda wearing one, we started setting up the banner in confused haste.

I was worried though. Because the large, white word on the huge blue banner was:

BOYDEMO

'Are you sure about this, Noda?' I asked. 'Yuri explicitly told us not to change the name.'

'Of course,' he said as he flashed a thumbs-up at me. 'This fits us much better, don't you think?'

I sighed. 'As long as you promise to take the blame if Yuri sees this, I'm fine with it.'

To my surprise, Yui was all for the idea. I'd have thought she would consider changing the name an insult to the original band that she loved so much, but apparently she took it very differently. Actually, she seemed pleased that we weren't going to tarnish the name GirlDeMo with our crappy performance.

Yui held her fist in the air. 'Let's rock and roll, you guys!'

We wrapped the leather straps around our bodies and carefully positioned our guitars, while Yui stepped behind the microphone now connected to a loudspeaker.

Pretty strange setting… For one thing, we didn't even have a drummer. That also didn't seem to bother Yui, and considering she was the expert here, I also shrugged it off. I would do whatever Yui told me to do, and that was it. No point in giving myself a headache over a mission that was destined to fail…

Naturally, Yui was the rhythm guitarist and also the lead vocalist, which made our work lighter since we didn't need to memorize any of the lyrics. Still, I knew things would be really difficult for us even though we had been strumming our guitars for most of yesterday.

I had been ordered to be the lead guitarist, while Hinata and Noda would take turns being the bassist. Neither of them could remember all three songs we had practiced yesterday.

I wasn't going to be tense. I would try to enjoy myself. And with that thought, Yui gave the order and we began playing the first song – Crow Song.

**Masami Iwasawa**

_I'm late!_ I thought frantically as I hopped out of my bed. _Stupid!_

The alarm clock beside me read 3:50 p.m., only 10 minutes before I was officially late for my new part-time job.

I couldn't believe myself. This was the perfect job for me. It would give me enough money _and_ the time I would need to practice and play my songs. I was counting on it if I wanted to move away and live by myself. I couldn't believe I had decided to take an afternoon nap – and slept in! – on such an important day, and all because I had spent all last night composing my new song…

I hastily took care of my long hair now tangled in a mess. I hated it. I made a mental note to cut it short one day…

I washed up in less than three minutes. Then I changed into a fairly decent set of clothes before rushing downstairs.

My father and mother were arguing in the kitchen, as usual… I ignored them and rushed out of the room, not even bothering to say goodbye.

_I'll need at least ten minutes to get from here to the cafe._ I calculated. I checked my watch. _3:57 p.m._

I took a deep breath and ran. The streets weren't too busy so I didn't have to keep dodging as I ran. The spring breeze that brushed across my face felt good, but it did little to ease my worries.

I reached the next block and took a sharp turn to the right. I was almost out of breath, but I knew I had to keep running. My job depended on it.

I was just about to pass the train station and round another corner.

That was when I heard it.

A familiar song from a familiar source…

'… _kimi koso kodoku na kimi koso_

_Tadashii yo ningenrashii __…_

Curious, my run slowed into a jog, which in turn slowed into a walk. Temporarily forgetting I needed to hurry, I turned my head towards the band.

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

I saw her.

A girl that seemed to be in a hurry… a girl wearing a tiny, white hat that covered her long, flowing, deep-red hair… it was her.

I was surprised and overwhelmed with emotions for a moment, so I was slightly distracted. But when reason kicked in again, I concentrated on playing the role of the lead guitarist.

She needed this… If we had a chance to make her remember, this performance would be it…

I doubled my efforts. It was hard because I also wanted to read her expressions. A question lingered in my mind. _Will she remember us?_

But just when things were starting to look up, the bassist for My Song, our fellow blue-haired member, suddenly dropped his guitar on the floor and shouted, 'Iwasawa!'

**Hinata Hideki**

I saw everything go down. I could almost picture the emotional roller-coaster Iwasawa was going through.

She was obviously in a hurry, but our song had captured her attention. She had a confused expression on her face as she turned toward us. She put a finger on her lips and frowned in deep thought.

I could see her gaze flicker between us and the huge banner we had set up. I suddenly wished Noda hadn't changed the name to BoyDeMo. It had inconvenienced things, to say the least.

But as we continued playing, her frown became more and more prominent, but what was on her face wasn't confusion anymore; it was impatience.

I knew exactly where that was coming from. It was because we were performing My Song, a song that meant to Iwasawa so much, that we were able to capture her attention. But it was also because we were performing a song that was precious to her, that she couldn't stand so many off-key notes. After all, we were still beginners. I was actually feeling proud we could play like this already…

I sneaked a glance at Otonashi. He was playing even harder than before, and I knew he did that out of good intention. He wanted to let Iwasawa remember, so he was trying extra hard. But I knew the effort would backfire somehow.

She was starting to lose interest in us. Just as she was about to turn and leave, I thought up a plan. It would be our last resort.

I stopped playing my guitar. Then I pulled myself out of the leather strap and dropped the guitar on the floor with a loud smash. I yanked off the black sunglasses and shouted, 'Iwasawa!'

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

That idiot… That was never going to work, and he knew it.

He himself hadn't recognized Noda and me in the baseball match; was he dumb enough to expect Iwasawa to remember just by looking at our faces?

This performance was our only chance. I decided to continue playing without Hinata. I would play until I made her remember.

**Masami Iwasawa**

That boy… he called out my name. Does he know me? Do I know him? No, it can't be. I haven't seen him before in my life.

But then there's also the word on the banner. _BOYDEMO?_ It sounds strangely familiar…

I pondered. Were they a band I had come across some time ago and happened to remember the name? That would explain the familiar sensation I was feeling. But that raised one question. If it was a band I was willing to remember, it couldn't be as bad as this…

My growing impatience evaporated and confusion set in again.

I found myself slowly approaching the group.

A purple-haired boy was sleeping on the ground, oblivious to my presence. The pink-haired lead vocalist, who was the only decent member in the band, had her eyes closed and couldn't see me. The other boy that had pale-red hair was absorbed in the song too, though he played pretty badly. The only one waiting for me was the blue-haired boy. He was looking at me with such intensity…

**Hinata Hideki**

She was slowly walking this way. Her face showed confusion again as she studied my face.

_This is it._ I told myself. _It's now or never._

Once I was sure she was within range where she couldn't escape without hearing part of what I was going to say, I started shouting, 'Iwasawa, join Shinda Sekai Sensen!'

She stopped abruptly in her tracks, confusion even more prominent. Fortunately, I could see a hint of recognition on her face. She wasn't running away, which was good. But it was not enough. I had to press harder.

'Do you remember the Afterlife? Do you remember Operation Tornado?' My tone was unintentionally enthusiastic. 'It was thanks to you that we could get all those meal tickets. It was all thanks to you that we didn't need to starve our way through. It was all because of your music, Iwasawa!'

I wanted to press on, but I felt a force grip my hand before I could go on. I turned to see Noda locking his grip on me. He was still resting on the floor, his eyes still closed. He said calmly, 'Don't go too far. Give her time to think.'

Iwasawa was pressing a curled finger hard on her lips, struggling and wrestling with the memories that lay dormant, memories I was trying so hard to call out.

Somehow I knew I couldn't wait. I ignored Noda and shouted, 'Iwasawa, it's fine if you don't remember any of that. But please at least remember the song we're playing! You must recognize this song!'

All the confusion evaporated in an instant, and for a moment I thought I had succeeded, so I was taken aback when her face showed anger instead of recognition and warmth.

She shouted, 'Of course I remember this song!'

I didn't know where her sudden anger was coming from, but I said cautiously, 'You see? You do remember! Back when we were in the After–'

'Are you trying to make fun of me?' I was cut off by Iwasawa. I had no idea what I had said that made her so mad. I suddenly lost my tongue.

'I wrote it almost a month ago! I've also performed this song a lot of times since then!' Iwasawa shouted. 'What gives you the right to play this song without my permission, and play it so badly?'

'Please, Iwasawa!' Otonashi's loud voice entered my ears. I turned to see Otonashi and Yui looking at us, the former shooting a quick glare in my direction, which made me flinch. I realized they had finished playing the song.

Otonashi went on, 'You need to remember! You were the leader of our diversion unit.' He gestured at our huge banner. 'Girls Dead Monster! GirlDeMo! You, Hisako, Irie and Sekine were all members of this group. All of you were our teammates. How can you forget that?'

Yui chimed in with watery eyes. 'Iwasawa-san! Please remember.'

Iwasawa's expression was hard to read, but she wasn't angry anymore.

She staggered a few steps backwards, and then said in a slightly trembling voice, 'I… can't. I can't remember.'

Otonashi shouted, '"Having dreams you want to come true and dreams you can't reach. That itself becomes the dream, becomes the hope for people to go on living." That's what this song is about, isn't it? Once, before another Operation Tornado, when I still had amnesia, you told me about your dream! You told a stupid guy called Otonashi who still didn't remember anything to hang on to his dream. You cheered him on and helped him a lot. Please, Iwasawa, you have to remember!'

She placed a hand on her forehead. 'Girls Dead Monster… Diversion unit… Why do they all sound so familiar?'

She shook her head. 'I really can't remember. But there is a feeling left. It's hard to explain it…' She grunted. 'It's so irritating!'

Without another look at us, she ran off in the other direction. She didn't remember…

'Iwasawa…'

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><p><strong>Was it good? I really don't know much abot concerts or bands or street performances, so I made a conscious attempt to avoid the pitfalls. My sister's the one who's crazy about these things XS. Still, I'd like to know if I'd made any mistakes. (To be honest, I'm not feeling too good about this chap :S)<strong>

**Anyway, cy next chap!**


	12. Chapter 11: Bracelet, flow of time, fds

**QU: Part 3 / 4**

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><p>Chapter 11 – Bracelet, flow of time, friends…<p>

We had failed another mission. We had come so close…

The only upside was that we knew Iwasawa was living in the neighborhood, which was convenient, although we probably wouldn't want to disturb her for a while, not after we'd dumped so many things on her at one time. We needed to give her time, just like Noda had said to Hinata.

In fact, since that Sunday, things had died down a bit. The number of empty chairs in my class began to drop as the absent students returned over the next two weeks. They still didn't talk much of course, since, according to Yuri, they had become NPC's. But I had to say, things were looking pretty normal for our school. It was almost like our enemy – if there was one to begin with – had decided to take a break.

Or… had he found out someone had been hot on his trail? Was he waiting for the pursuit to cool down before striking again? I didn't know.

And because of that, things hadn't been too hectic for us too. Since 'he' hadn't taken action, Yuri had no new lead. We were still stuck with the stupid computer and the creepy message without making any progress.

Despite that, I was pretty thankful. We hadn't had a new operation in two weeks, so I had time to visit my sister more often. Unfortunately, her condition had gotten worse. In a short span of only two weeks, she had gone from being able to sit and eat on her own to being completely bedridden. She would wear a mask all day, and sometimes she even needed a respirator to breathe.

Even though she was barely able to talk, her gratitude was apparent in her eyes every time she saw me. She couldn't read by herself, so I would read her favorite manga to her. I began fighting for permission to bring a DVD player here so that I could start bringing anime DVDs for my little sister, just so that she could still enjoy the story even when I wasn't in the hospital. Unfortunately, after more than a week, the doctors still hadn't given me an answer.

In fact, I had just left the hospital after another visit on a Saturday. I was happy, because her condition had shown a little improvement. She was finally able to talk a bit.

'_Say, big brother, I haven't really thanked you for buying this wonderful present for me.' She pointed weakly at the silver bracelet. 'So I've made something for you too.'_

_She slowly reached her right hand under the covers before pulling it out again, sitting on top was a small, red, paper flower. 'It was hard to make and it took a really long time, but I finally managed to finish it.' She smiled weakly at the end._

_I took the flower from her hand and stared at it for a while. 'Hatsune…'_

'_You know, big brother… I used to be very scared… Scared of the heavy medication I would have to be on. Scared of the surgeries I would have to go through. I heard they were really painful. I could even feel my body growing weaker.' She turned her head toward me. 'But I'm not scared anymore. Do you want to know why?'_

_She slowly raised her left hand. 'Because whenever I'm afraid, this bracelet will remind me that you will always be there to cheer me on, to support me, even if you aren't really here in person.'_

'_Hatsune…'_

_She stared back at the ceiling. 'Big brother, do you know what I want to be when I grow up?'_

_I didn't answer her._

'_I want to be a doctor, just like you. I want to help people, like the doctors here have been helping me. I want to help lots and lots of people.' She clutched the bed cover. 'Do you think my dream will ever come true?'_

_My vision was blurry. 'Of course. You will go to medical school and get amazing grades. You will make a lot of friends too. I bet you will be an awesome doctor.'_

'_Friends…' She chuckled weakly once. 'Say, do you think I can meet your friends once again? They were very funny. I hope I can see them at least one more time…'_

'_Hey… don't say stuff like that.' I was straining to keep my voice from breaking. 'You're going to meet them of course. And not just once. You're going to meet them for the second time, then for the third time, the fourth time... You know what, I'm going to drag them here every day just to see you. You'll grow so tired of it you will start asking me never to bring them here again.' I smiled._

Never did I think… I could never fulfill that promise…

It was Sunday. I was walking down the usual way to the hospital again. I was playing with the little paper flower my sister had given me that was now hanging around my neck. The morning sun was shining brightly in the sky, and I was feeling hopeful for the day. _My sister's condition is getting better. _I kept reminding myself. _She could hold a conversation with me yesterday._

I already had had today planned out. I had rung up everyone and they had all agreed to pay my sister another visit. They would arrive in the afternoon, so I had the whole morning doing whatever she would like me to do. If she said she'd like to hear me read a manga story, I'd read until my lips bled; if she said she'd like me to talk about high school life, I'd give her some of the most fascinating stories she would ever hear…

I was smiling. I was feeling hopeful. That was when my phone rang…

I didn't recognize the caller number. I pressed the 'talk' button.

'Hello?'

'May I speak with Mr. Otonashi?'

'This is him speaking.'

'Mr. Otonashi, this is the hospital calling. I'm afraid I have bad news.'


	13. Chapter 12: Broken dreams

**QU: Part 4 / 4**

**Don't forget to read from Chapter 9! (since this is a quad update XD)**

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><p>Chapter 12 – Broken dreams<p>

I sat on the bench outside the emergency room. Waiting… Hoping… Asking myself the same question again and again… _Why?_

_Why is this happening? _She was doing so well yesterday. She still couldn't sit upright, but she talked to me. Talked to me about her dreams, about how she wanted to meet my friends again. I reached for the paper flower hanging around my neck and slowly twisted it in my hands.

The occasional loud orders by the commanding doctor inside were harshly audible. I could feel my heart drop every time someone shouted 'quick' or 'hurry'. My heart plunged even further when I heard the word 'clear' as the medical staff tried to resuscitate my sister.

I could hear the metal-clanking sounds as objects were taken from medical trays. I could hear the sounds of rapid yet disorderly footsteps that suggested the medical staff was in a frantic state. I couldn't help imagining the worst.

Everything was so painful to hear. I wanted to cover my ears. I wanted to run away from this place. But I knew I couldn't. I couldn't leave my sister alone. I would stay with her until the end.

I clenched my fists and hit them hard against my legs.

_Why? _My fists started shaking. Droplets of water fell on them, and I realized I was crying. _Why her?_

It's so unfair… Why does _she _have to go through so much pain? Why does God pick _her_ to be the victim? She never did anything wrong. She's just a kid. Her whole life, she was thankful. She was willing to give without asking anything in return. And now, when she really does have something she wants, while that is just as tiny a gift as a friend or the ability to help people, God does not permit it. Why is God so cruel?

The dimly-lit hallway and the gloomy red light given off by the _'Emergency Room'_ seemed to accentuate the grim atmosphere. I dropped my head as I bent and hugged my knees.

It painfully reminded me of the time we'd spent together on Christmas…

I could still remember vividly. The beautiful yellow Christmas lights… my sister weakly clinging onto my back… the one-sided conversation…

I had lost her once. She had died right in my arms on that fateful day. She had died of the same disease that was tormenting her now… I didn't know if I could bear losing her again…

_Is there really nothing I can do?_

I didn't know how much time had passed when the _'Emergency Room'_ sign finally stopped glowing. The loud noises inside had ceased.

I sprang from my seat as the door opened and a doctor slowly came out. It gave a creaking sound. 'How is my sister doing? Is she going to be okay?'

He looked at me and hesitated. His next words rang in my ears like thunder.

'We did everything we could…' he said. 'I'm so sorry.'

The paper flower that had been hanging tight around my neck dropped on the floor. The sound of the impact rang loudly in my head.

No…

What is he trying to tell me?

It felt like my world was falling apart. I clutched my chest and staggered backwards. 'Hatsune…' my voice came out as a whisper.

My legs didn't have the strength to support themselves. I fell.

In the midst I felt a force on my shoulder. The doctor was helping my get back on my feet. He said again, 'I'm so sorry for your loss.'

I clenched my fists hard. From the corner of my watery eyes I could spot the slightly open door to the Emergency Room. I acted on impulse. _There's still a chance…_

I pushed aside the doctor's helping hand and made a run for the room. _I have to see it for myself…_

The doctor swiftly caught my arm. 'Sir, you can't go in there yet. Sir!'

I didn't care. I had to see her now. Gathering my full strength, I broke away from his grasp and pushed him aside. I flung open the door.

My legs immediately gave way, and I fell to my knees.

My sister was connected to all kinds of machines, but my gaze was drawn toward the one device that showed her heartbeat rate.

The tracing line was flat…

'Hatsune…' I cried weakly.

'Sir, you can't come in here yet,' a nurse said as a few others immediately approached. They started grabbing me by my arms and pulling me away.

'No!' I shouted. 'Hatsune… HATSUNE!'

I refused to budge. I struggled to make my way toward my sister. I didn't know where my strength came from at that point, but even when at least 3 nurses were attempting to drag me out, I could find myself slowly approaching my sister's lifeless figure.

'Sir, we need you to calm down!'

I started shouting. 'Hatsune!' Tears stung my eyes. 'Don't leave me! You need to keep fighting, you hear me? Keep fighting!' My head throbbed even harder.

I struggled and took another step forward. 'Didn't you say you wanted to be a doctor? Didn't you say you wanted to help people? You asked me if your dream would ever come true, remember? I'm telling you, it won't! It won't unless you decide to fight back!'

My voice was on the verge of breaking. 'Hatsune, open your eyes!' I cried desperately. The throbbing pain became almost unbearable.

The tears fell to my cheeks. 'Hatsune…'

I could feel my consciousness drifting away. I was calling on the last drops of my energy to fight the lingering blackness.

I was no match. It finally overpowered me. Everything then went black…

Hatsune…


	14. Chapter 13: Traitor

**My shortest - and most important? - chapter yet. I intended this to be a double update; unfortunately, I didn't have the time to finish the next one and tomorrow I have school :( So I'll be posting this first. Enjoy ;)**

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><p>Chapter 13 – Traitor<p>

_Are you sure we can trust him with that information?_

It was a girl's voice…

_Yeah… I guess you're right. He is our friend. He needs to know._

It was familiar.

The girl sighed._ I don't know. He's taking it pretty hard._

Was it Yuri?

_I really hope so… Oh, wait, he's awake. I'll call you soon._

I opened my tear-stung eyes. I was resting on the bench outside the emergency room again. The hall was deserted and everything looked the same. The only addition was the magenta-haired girl now sitting next to me. The girl called Yuri Nakamura.

'So, how are you feeling?' Yuri asked.

I didn't say anything.

'I'm so sorry, Otonashi,' Yuri said.

Again, I didn't answer.

'The others also wanted to see you, but I told them not to. I figured you might want some time to yourself,' Yuri carried on her one-sided conversation.

'That said, you must be wondering what I'm doing here.'

I glanced up slightly. Yuri was holding a can of coffee in her hand, her eyes on the opposite wall instead of me.

'I would really love to say I'm only here on behalf of the team, and that I'm here only because we care for you, but unfortunately that's not the case.

'I've come here to warn you about something. I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, because it is going to be really hard to hear, but I still think it'd be best for you to know this as soon as possible.' Her voice broke near the end.

She laughed once bitterly. 'Everything's so messed up. It wasn't supposed to be like this!' Her tone sounded like she was feeling as bitter as I was.

She took a deep breath and went on, 'I decided to visit our hideout today. It's Sunday, so naturally I didn't think anyone would be at school. But something happened there. Something I couldn't possibly ignore. It was the key to the whole thing…

'To be honest, I hesitated over whether to tell you or not, since you're the one closest to her. You might not believe me; or worse, you might even choose to betray us. But Hinata is right. You're our friend, Otonashi, and you need to know this.'

She took another deep breath, now turning her head toward me. 'You need to be very careful of Kanade Tachibana. If you know what's best for you, you will heed my warning.'

At the same time, she placed something in my hand that was resting on the bench. It felt like paper, but I didn't bother to look at it. Almost nothing bothered me anymore. I was even numb to any emotions what Yuri had just said might have brought. The next thing she said, though, rang in my head a bit.

'We believe Tachibana is the culprit we've been trying so hard to look for.

'I had my doubts when I realized she could use Guard Skills. She was also the one who brought the notebook computer with the mysterious message to me. But neither was enough to ascertain my suspicions. At least, they weren't as convincing as this new piece of evidence.'

I looked down at my hands. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear anymore.

She took a sip from her can of coffee and looked at the opposite wall. She tightened her grip on the can, making a dent in the middle, delivering a bitter laugh again. 'All this time, I thought we could trust her. I thought she was on our side. I never thought she would be the enemy…' The can gave a sound of crumbling aluminum.

She turned towards me again. 'Otonashi, I sincerely hope you won't tell Angel any of this, though it's not like I can stop you or anything if you decide otherwise. But just so you know, if you choose to side with her, you'll be regarded as our enemy as well.'

Yuri sighed once. 'The _good_ news though, is that we've finally located Takeyama, so it'll only be a matter of time before we discover the meaning of the message Angel has left behind. Of course, that's assuming that we're _able_ to retrieve him, and that his hacking skills are as good as they were back then.

'To be honest, you're the best candidate for this round of Operation Retrieval, since you're the only one with a similar level of academic ability to Takeyama, but this turn of events has changed everything. Your sister's death, Angel's betrayal… In your current state, I doubt you're up for any missions for a while.' She took another sip. 'That makes things all the more difficult for us.'

I was silent during the whole conversation. Yuri apparently sensed I still wasn't in the mood to talk, so she stood up. 'I'm going to pay my respects.'

She entered the room, and I was left alone again. The emotions I didn't know I had been unconsciously suppressing overwhelmed me. My nose turned sour and tears rolled down my eyes again. For a lifetime, I couldn't stop.

I was still crying when Yuri opened the door again. Her face showed compassion as she said to me, 'I'll leave you alone for a while.'

I continued to cry after she left. I hugged my knees and sobbed into the cold, hard denim.

I slowly lifted my head. It was all too much for me to take. I crumbled the folded piece of paper in my hand, rushed to the nearest trash can, and then threw it in without a second thought.

I didn't see then. I didn't see the body of the white-haired girl standing just around the corner, carefully listening to Yuri's every word, reading my every move.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the little cliffhangar there. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. R&amp;R, thanks!<strong>


	15. Chapter 14: Existence

**Yay. Multiple updates again. I'm on a roll! XD **

**I'm not gonna lie. These chapters (and those that follow) were (and will still be) a real test of my abilities. Things have gotten really complicated since Chapter 13, and I had to be very careful and focused so as not to make any mistakes or plot holes. **

**In any case, please enjoy and tell me what you think~~~**

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><p>Chapter 14 – Existence<p>

I never went to the clubroom again…

Every day, after school, I would pack up and go straight to the Boy's Dorm. I would concentrate on homework and not think of anything else. Even when I was out of homework to do, I would keep studying. And then, after the tasteless dinner prepared by our Dorm Mother came the most dreadful part of the day – shower.

It was the only time when my mind was allowed to wander, and however hard I tried, my mind couldn't help drifting back to the hospital, to the emergency room where my sister's short and unfulfilled life had ended, to the one-sided conversation Yuri had tormented me with.

It raised a lot of questions. But I made no conscious effort to answer any of them. After all, I had decided to avoid all of them when I threw away the only piece of evidence I could have had.

But luckily, the torture didn't last for long. After the shower, I would bury myself in some more meaningless work before finally turning to sleep.

Every day was the same…

Hinata had transferred to our school – my class, to be exact – which made me realize the 'surprise' he had promised was nothing more than studying together.

I treated him as any other normal classmate…

I even avoided Kanade, less because of Yuri's warning and more because I still hadn't gotten over my grievance yet. To be fair, though, I could sense she was avoiding me too.

The culprit – I still refused to believe it was her – had struck again, this time on an even bolder scale. I knew that because there had been witness reports of 'black smoke' engulfing students, but naturally, no one believed them. That made sense. I didn't believe it when Yuri first told me, even after all I had gone through in the Afterworld.

Not like it was any of my concern though… I didn't care. I was going to let fate take its course. If I were to encounter a Shadow, if I were meant to become an NPC, so be it.

Although… I couldn't help but wonder sometimes. What were the Battlefront's plans? I didn't know how they were going to deal with the situation, but judging by the increasing number of absent students – some didn't come back even after weeks – I'd have to guess they were in a fix.

My suspicion was ascertained when Yuri and Hinata kept trying to yank me back on the team. After the failed mission to retrieve Iwasawa, they had failed another mission to retrieve Takeyama. He also didn't remember. According to Yuri, he hadn't even noticed Hinata and Noda. The guy could be so full of himself sometimes… Apparently, I was the only one who could come close to making him remember, and the key was to have an out-and-out academic dual with him, and win.

Sadly, Kanade wasn't a part of the team anymore.

And I still couldn't bring myself to join…

/ / / / / / / / / /

Today was just like any other day. At lunchtime, I dragged myself to the cafeteria, buying whatever meal ticket that captured the attention of my unconscious mind, eating who-knew-what-I-had-ordered in a quiet corner all by myself.

That was when Hinata popped up beside me. 'Yo, Otonashi, do you mind if I sit with you?'

'Sure,' I said blankly, scooping up a spoonful of pork look-alike.

He pulled up a chair and plopped down.

'So, Dongpo's pork, eh? Didn't know you were into that,' he said.

Seeing I had no intention of giving a reply, he went on, 'So, I was just wondering…'

'Forget it,' I interrupted.

'But I haven't even said anything yet!'

'You were going to ask me to join again, weren't you?'

'Well…' he hesitated as he scratched his cheek.

I sighed.

We ate, Hinata shifting uncomfortably at the awkward silence. He was clearly thinking of something to say.

'You know,' he finally said. 'About Angel… I really don't think of her as my enemy…'

I glanced up slightly.

'What I mean is, I still have faith in her,' he said cautiously, reading my face. 'I don't know why she would do such awful things, but I'm sure there's a good reason behind all of it.'

I slammed my hand on the table and stood up abruptly, and Hinata was taken aback by my sudden reaction.

I shouted, 'What's wrong with you! What made you think Kanade is the enemy in the first place! And what's with all this "Angel" nonsense? She has a name, you know? Call her by her first name, for Christ's sake!' Other students were starting to notice our little row as they threw shocked and irritated glances at us.

'Shh…' Hinata said frantically as he glanced sideways, gesturing for me to sit down at the same time. 'Calm down, man.'

I took my tray and was about to leave as Hinata grabbed my arm. 'You want to prove that An– Kanade's innocent, don't you? Well, I do too. But it's not going to help if you keep avoiding the problem.'

He stuck something in my hand. 'Uncovering the meaning of the message is the first step towards that goal, and we need Takeyama's help to do it. Please, Otonashi, you're our – and Kanade's – only hope!'

I broke away from his grasp and went to another corner. When I was sure I was out of his sight, I unfolded the piece of paper he had given me and gave it a curious look.

It was a poster about the Inter-School Science and Mathematics competition held in two weeks. I frowned. It was obvious was Hinata was trying to do.

He knew Takeyama would be participating in the competition, so he wanted me to join as well. He was using me to get to him.

Irritated, I crumpled the piece of paper and tucked it in a pocket. Thanks to Hinata, my mind was a jumbled mess right now. I had lost my appetite, so I grabbed my tray that now contained a half-eaten bowl of DongPo's pork, took care of it and left.

I returned to my classroom and went back to my usual seat. There was still half an hour before Physics Class started, so I buried my head in my hands, trying in vain to take a rest.

The last two classes, surprisingly, weren't so bad. Hinata had apparently decided not to bother me anymore. Teacher's droning voice also kept my mind busy. It wasn't long before the final bell rang.

Our teacher left, and I packed up quickly. Without throwing Hinata another glance, I flung my bag over my shoulder and became the first one out of the room.

I decided to take the long way down. While everyone took the nearest staircase just beside our classroom, I circled around the corridor and took the farthest and darkest set of stairs. I wanted to be alone. I didn't know I was about to be ambushed.

I had barely taken the first step down the stairs when a dark voice called out, 'Otonashi.'

I didn't stop. I didn't even bother to turn my head. I knew the voice all too well.

'You didn't come,' Noda said darkly.

I continued to walk as I snapped, 'Leave me alone, Noda.'

I felt a force on my collar as he dragged me back up. My face remained blank as he grabbed my jacket with one hand while pressing the blade of his axe against my neck hard with the other.

'Now listen to me, you punk,' he said in a threatening voice. 'I don't care if you want to live the rest of your life in sorrow. I don't care if you decide to waste it away. But don't you dare hurt Yuri any further!'

I kept up my blank face and said, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

He yanked on my jacket harder. 'Did it ever occur to you _why_ we've been leaving Angel alone?'

I frowned.

'We _know_ she's the enemy. It wouldn't be hard for us to corner her and take her down. But Yuri's telling us not to. Do you know why?

'She's doing that for you! She knows how much Angel means to you. She doesn't want to hurt you. But you still keep avoiding us, and it's hurting _her_.'

I grabbed his hand and pulled it away. I stared at Noda in the eyes. 'Are you done?'

His face told me he couldn't believe what I had just said. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. 'I see there's no point in talking to you anymore.'

The cold sensation disappeared as he pulled his axe away and turned. I stared after him, and after a few steps, he stopped and shot me a glare over his shoulder. 'Know this, though. Just because Yuri doesn't permit it doesn't mean I'm going to sit by idly and not take any actions of my own. Until then, better savor what little time you have with your precious Angel…'

I continued to stare after him until he disappeared around a corner.

_What was that all about…_ My head hurt even more after Noda's little ambush.

I started to walk again, with no particular destination in mind. Noda's words reverberated in my head as I walked where my legs took me, and soon I arrived in front of the train station.

I had no idea why I would want to walk there subconsciously, but then decided a visit to my sister's grave would probably be a good idea. I needed someone to talk to anyway.

I bought a ticket and boarded a train.


	16. Chapter 15: Decode

**Triple update: part 2/3**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15 – Decode<p>

**Yuri Nakamura**

Otonashi hadn't been going to school for a whole week…

Neither had Angel…

The bell that signaled the end of the last class of the day rang. After bidding our teacher goodbye absentmindedly, I slowly packed my things.

Had we pushed him too far? Had he decided to join up with Angel? The questions lingered in my mind.

Still, it didn't make sense for them to be absent…

I slowly walked out of the classroom and headed downstairs. I took a glance at Otonashi's classroom when I reached the third floor. Then I sighed and continued my descent.

It gave me time to think.

The new message Angel had been constructing was burnt deep inside my head. I pictured the piece of paper that was now resting in my bag. I had given Otonashi a copy of this original piece of evidence, but he had been foolish and stubborn and had had to throw it away…

The image of Angel scribbling away on this piece of paper on that fateful Sunday had become a permanent memory. On one side, she had written all sorts of weird symbols on it, while on the other, written in large, black words was:

**** **** ****Α****ΝΓΕΛ****'****Σ**** ******

Which translated to:

**** **** ANGEL'S ******

For the first time, I didn't have a plan. We had already come this far, yet there was a huge wall before us now, a wall that could only be breached with Takeyama's help. And the only way to get him to join was lost to us now…

I didn't go to the clubroom. Instead, I headed straight for the school's main gates.

'Excuse me, but do you happen to be Miss Yuri Nakamura?' A voice called out from beside me just after I'd taken the first step out of school grounds. I froze in place. I would recognize that voice anywhere.

I slowly turned my head. The small middle-schooler-looking boy that met my gaze had light brown hair and wore a butch haircut. He had a pair of rectangular glasses on that made him look a little bit more mature. He also had a small backpack on his back.

'Takeyama,' I whispered in a low voice.

He looked taken aback. 'Oh, you know my name already. That must mean you're the person I'm looking for.'

I was frowning, still disbelieving.

'Still,' he said. 'I'd appreciate it if you would call me Christ…'

'Why are you here?' I asked in a low voice.

He pushed the bridge of his glasses and held his hand in place. 'I have come to assist you.'

/ / / / / / / / / /

'There,' I said as I pointed at the _other_ laptop as I entered the clubroom. 'That's the one that needs decoding.'

'Don't worry,' Takeyama said confidently. 'It'll be done in no time.'

We circled around the table and I let him take my seat while I stood beside him.

'Hey, Takeyama–'

'Christ,' Takeyama interrupted as he pulled some gadgets out of his backpack.

'Do you mind telling me why you came in the first place? Obviously you still don't remember who I am…'

'I was asked to assist you,' he answered as he pulled some more high-tech stuff out.

I lifted an eyebrow. 'Who did?'

'I'm not allowed to tell you that.'

I decided to take a chance. 'Was it Otonashi?'

He froze, and I knew.

'So it was him,' I whispered to myself.

He ignored me and flipped open the laptop. It whirred and lit up. He frowned. 'This could be troublesome…'

'Hey, Takeyama, do you know where he is right now? He's been missing classes for a whole week. Did he really need to take that much time to get through to you?'

He slowly looked up. 'I was told that under no circumstances was I to give you any information regarding his whereabouts.'

'What's with that vague answer?' I snapped. 'Out with it, already!'

He looked away. 'I'm sorry, but it's really not my place to tell you that.' There was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

I sighed and let it go. It wasn't like I would be able to squeeze an answer out of him. He was determined not to say anything.

'So, can you do it?' I asked instead.

'This is very advanced, and it's going to take a while…' he said, and I took that as a 'yes'.

_Rattle._ Someone was turning the doorknob. I reached hastily for a water gun I had hidden on a shelf beside me and aimed it at the door. Someone was about to get punished for forgetting to deliver the password…

'There's no God, Buddha or Angel,' Noda's impatient voice entered my ears before the door opened. _Hmm… he's gotten smarter._

I put the water gun back in place as Noda, Hinata and Yui entered the clubroom.

'You sounded urgent on the phone,' Hinata said. 'So what did… Takeyama?'

His eyes widened as he saw the person sitting in my armchair.

Takeyama raised his head and fixed his glasses. 'Greetings.'

'What… how…' Hinata stuttered.

'Otonashi helped bring him here,' I said with a smile on my face. 'He's chosen to be on our side after all.'

Noda scoffed once and thrust his axe at Takeyama. 'Notice me now, punk?'

Takeyama sighed once and looked dead in Noda's eyes. 'You don't have friends, do you?'

He stood up and started approaching Noda, numbers firing like bullets from his mouth. 'Three-point-one-four-one-five-nine-two-six-five-three-five-'

I could almost picture the numbers taking a physical form and dealing fatal blows to Noda, now wriggling on the floor and hugging his body painfully.

'Oh no, not pi again!' Hinata exclaimed.

'Wow, that sounds like fun.' Yui beamed. 'Can I join too?'

'Stop! Stop it!' Noda almost begged.

'I didn't know you were scared of numbers, Noda-san,' Yui said playfully and laughed. She drew a deep breath. 'Here goes. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-'

Noda rubbed his head and scratched his body. 'That hurts!' he shouted. 'Stop it!'

I sighed and placed a hand on Takeyama's shoulder. 'I hate to interrupt your fun, but there are more urgent matters right now. Could you please take care of the message for us first?'

Takeyama nodded solemnly and returned to his temporary seat. I turned my gaze toward Noda and sighed again. 'You're hopeless, you know that?'

He slowly stood up and gritted his teeth, but he didn't say anything.

'You might want to take a look at this,' Takeyama said behind the table after a while.

Each of us occupied a space either behind or beside the armchair, our focus on the little monitor now showing various windows and a bar indicating the progress of the decoding process.

'It shouldn't be long now,' Takeyama said.

I held my breath in anticipation. The moment had finally come. The message that had been haunting our team for more than a month was finally revealed. The previously impossible wall had been breached. Finally, the truth would dawn on us.

My heart jumped every time a letter popped up in place of a previous 'star'. I leaned in closer to the monitor, afraid even to blink. One by one, the letters revealed themselves.

We all waited until each 'star' had been replaced by a Greek letter.

The message struck like thunder, and for a while, none of us could find their tongues.

Hinata was the first one who broke the silence in a trembling voice. 'But… what does this mean?'

'I don't know…' I whispered.

I had thought clearing it up would solve everything for us, but now I wasn't so sure. In fact, as far as I was concerned, deciphering this message seemed to have posed even more questions. Daunting questions…

'Why would…' I managed in a low voice. 'Why would Angel give us a message like this…'

In the pitch black background, the white letters on the monitor were:

**ΤΗΕ****ΑΦΤΕ****Ρ****ΩΟ****Ρ****Λ****Δ****ΙΣ****ΙΝ****Δ****ΑΝΓΕ****Ρ**

Which translated to:

**THE AFTERWORLD IS IN DANGER**


	17. Chapter 16: Amnesia

**Triple update: Part 3/3**

* * *

><p>Chapter 16 – Amnesia<p>

_Kanade… Kanade… Please, no… Kanade, hang in there! _

A voice in my head screamed in the pitch-black background. Was it… my voice?

_Yuzuru… thank you… for everything…_

It was the voice of a girl. One I couldn't place…

They were getting more and more distant.

_Yuri Nakamura of Shinda Sekai Sensen…_

That was the voice of a boy. Again, I had no idea who he was.

The voices were moving farther and farther away from me, until they finally faded into nothing.

My eyes flew open. It was obviously dark, but my fully dilated pupils could make out a ceiling above me.

Confused and fighting a sudden wave of nausea, I turned my head weakly to the side.

It looked like a hospital room. No… It was bigger than that. It looked like a health room of some kind. There were spaces separated by curtains and medical trays set up on the far side of the room.

I could feel the warm sheets on my body and the soft mattress underneath it. My head was resting rather uncomfortably against a hard pillow. I shifted my body and adjusted the position of my head.

That was when I noticed another pressure on my chest. I lifted my head slightly and located the source of the pressure. I nearly gasped.

It was a girl. A beautiful, petite girl with her white hair tied up in a little ponytail. She was sleeping soundly on my chest. Her quiet, rhythmic breathing was soothing to the ear.

I was confused but relieved. It would have been way too creepy for me to be in a hospital-slash-health room all by myself in the dark.

I had the sudden urge to stroke her hair, but I restrained myself. Stroking someone's hair when you didn't even know her didn't seem right…

I didn't want to wake her up, so I lay awake on the bed, trying to recall what had happened.

I couldn't remember a thing… I didn't even remember being carried here.

I didn't know how much time had passed before the sun finally showed itself. It shone gently into the room.

Her golden eyes slowly opened, and they showed joy upon seeing my face. 'Oh, Yuzuru, you're finally awake!' _Yuzuru? Is that my name? I can't remember…_

She threw me a quick hug, which felt really awkward for me. I didn't know if I should hug her back or not. This girl obviously knew who I was, but I had no idea who _she_ was…

She pulled away and said slowly in a low voice, 'But… I don't understand. Why are you here?'

'I've been trying to figure that out myself too.' I looked at her and frowned slightly. 'I'm sorry, but have we met before? Do we know each other? I'm sorry, I can't remember.'

She looked surprised. No… more than that. She looked hurt.

'You… don't remember?'

I shook my head.

'You don't recognize me?' She looked even more hurt.

I frowned as I concentrated, but nothing came to mind. I shook my head again. 'I'm sorry.'

She lowered her head slightly.

The silence that fell was painful. I knew I should remember her. I knew I was hurting her. But there was nothing I could do.

I was still thinking of what to say when she looked up again, her eyes beaming with hope. 'Yuzuru, there's somewhere I want to take you.'

/ / / / / / / / / /

All this time, I was in a school… I knew I was in some kind of health room, but I never thought it would be one in a school. _What's more, I can't even recognize the school…_

The girl was leading me out of the room into a corridor.

'I just realized,' I said. 'I still don't know your name yet.'

'Kanade Tachibana,' she said.

'Tachibana, do you mind telling me where we're going?' I asked.

She stopped in her tracks, and I nearly bumped into her. She turned her head slowly, and I could see her eyes shimmer as they neared tears. 'Please, Yuzuru, call me Kanade.'

'Kanade,' I said hastily, feeling bad again. 'Okay, I got it.' I said again cautiously, 'So, do you mind telling me where we're going?'

'I can't tell you that yet,' she said. 'You'll have to hear for yourself.'

She led me down a flight of stairs and rounded a few more corners before stopping in front of a room. She slid open a door, leading into a large room with a piano sitting in a corner.

She sat behind the piano and gestured for me to sit next to her.

'Now, close your eyes,' she said softly.

She was acting a bit suspicious but I obeyed her orders anyway.

After a while, the soft sound of piano music drifted into my ears. The melody was unfamiliar yet beautiful. Kanade started to sing.

_Itsumo hitori de aruiteta Furikaeru to minna ha tooku_

_Sore demo atashi ha aruita Sore ga tsuyosa datta_

…

It was the most pleasant thing in the world to listen to, and I savored the song until the very end.

'Okay, open your eyes,' Kanade said softly.

I opened them slowly, her golden eyes reading my face hopefully.

'How do you feel?' she asked.

'It was really good.'

'Did you… remember anything?'

'Was I supposed to?' I was suddenly confused.

She bit her lips and frowned.

I decided to change the subject. 'Hey, Kanade, you want to grab something to eat? I'm starving.'

'Now that you mention it, I'm really hungry. I haven't eaten for three days…'

I widened my eyes. 'Why not?'

'When you entered this world three days ago, you were already in a coma. I didn't want to leave you, so I stayed with you in the health room the whole time.'

I realized then, we weren't merely friends. Friends wouldn't go to such lengths… Could she possibly be my…

'That won't do. You have to eat something, or you'll collapse,' I said, frowning.

'I know…'

'Come on, I'll treat you.' I took her hand, but then realized I didn't know where the cafeteria was. So I let her lead the way.


	18. Chapter 17: Identity

**Triple update: Part4/3? XD**

**I never thought I could get a fourth one up today but here you go XD**

**Another thing, I forgot to mention this in Chapter 2, but there will be a slight reference to Clannad in this fic, since I'm using one of the characters in that series. She's perfect for the role I had in mind so... read it to see who it is XDDD**

* * *

><p>Chapter 17 – Identity<p>

**Yuri Nakamura**

'There's more to the message than that,' Takeyama explained slowly, but he couldn't hide the shock of discovering its meaning.

He hit a few more buttons on the computer and another message popped up right below the deciphered one.

I nearly gasped. 'This… this is…'

'It's going to take some time before I can crack this one,' Takeyama said.

It was the same message Angel had written down in pen. The message with her own 'name' on it…

**** **** ****Α****ΝΓΕΛ****'****Σ**** ******

Just when the tense atmosphere was about to reach another peak, a girlish voice suddenly called out from outside the room. 'Th-that's…'

A girl with long, greenish hair was peering into the open room. I cursed under my breath. None of the stupid idiots remembered to close the door to our hideout…

'Oh no, not her again,' Noda mumbled before shouting, 'Will you please give it up? Even if you come toward me a thousand times, I'm still not giving you my axe!'

'I'm not coming for your axe. I'm here for another reason,' the small girl said determinedly and frowned. 'You have something that belongs to me.'

'I'm sure you've made a mistake,' I said. 'I don't recall anyone stealing anything from you. This clubroom is explicitly for SSS club members only.'

'I'm not lying!' the girl said, her lips puckering. 'You have something that belongs to me!' She strangely reminded me of Yui.

I sighed. 'Okay, what is it we took from you?'

What she said next turned everything upside down.

She pointed at the computer Takeyama was working hard on. 'That!'

I was too shocked to reply to that. Apparently taking advantage of my temporary inability to speak, the girl marched into the room. 'Now, give Fuko back her computer!'

'Hey, wait a minute,' Hinata was the one who said. 'We can't just hand it over to you when you don't have any proof. For all we know, you could be lying because you want a computer of your own!'

The girl's voice trembled a bit as she said with tearful eyes. 'I can't believe you think of me that way.' She quickly regained her composure as she put her hands on her hips. 'But don't you worry, because I have proof.'

She marched closer, grabbed the computer and pulled it up before we could stop her. Some of the gadgets connected to the computer dangled in the air.

Blood drained from Takeyama's face. 'Be careful with that!'

The girl was oblivious as she pointed at the bottom of the computer. 'See?'

I traced her finger and found what she was pointing at. A small sticker adorned with flower patterns… Right in the middle it read 'Fuko Ibuki'.

I couldn't believe I'd missed that… That would have been an important find and evidence…

'Yeah, right,' Noda snorted. 'All you're telling us is that there is a sticker on the bottom of the computer with a name on it.'

'You meanie!' the little girl said. I could almost picture her eyes pulling into two reverse arrows. 'I'm Fuko Ibuki! This computer is mine!'

With that, she unplugged all the gadgets, pulled the computer away and ran towards the entrance.

'Hey, wait!' Hinata shouted.

For a moment, I was too shocked I almost forgot we needed to give chase. By the time I pulled myself together and raced towards the entrance, the girl was already nowhere to be seen…

* * *

><p><strong>Until the next chapter!<strong>


	19. Chapter 18: The calm before a storm

**Only one update today~ but it's my longest chapter yet! XD**

**I spent a lot of time working on this chapter. Enjoy;)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 18 - The calm before a storm<p>

Kanade led me into the huge yet empty cafeteria. It was so quiet you would have a hard time imagining this place bustling with students. I inspected it curiously. The floors were covered by rectangular tiles of alternate colors. Tables and seats were placed neatly all over the place. There were also several sets of stairs that led to the second and third floor where there were even more seats. I located the vending machines that sold the meal tickets in a quiet corner.

I had no memory of the place.

'Things have gotten really quiet here,' Kanade said as we reached the machines. She reached out her hand and hit a digital button on the monitor with a finger. She didn't even need to look at the huge menu. She already knew what she was going to eat.

'Yeah, what do you expect?' I said, inspecting every dish available. 'It's still early in the morning and I doubt anyone's at school right now.'

'That's not what I mean…' Kanade's voice trailed off at the end. She took the ticket that came out of a small outlet. 'I wonder if we're the only ones here…' She handed me her ticket and smiled. 'Thanks for the meal, Yuzuru.'

'You're welcome,' I said as I happily took the ticket and gave it a glance. 'Mapo Tofu… Is it good?'

She beamed. 'It's delicious. I think it's the best food they have here in the cafeteria.'

'Well, in that case, I think I'll try it too,' I said. I located the digital button in the huge sea of available choices and tapped it once. I took my ticket and went to the food court.

Something occurred to me then. 'Hey, wait. It's too early. Is the cafeteria even open to us yet?'

She pressed a finger on her lips. 'Oh, that's right. I forgot. It _is_ too early…'

I sighed. 'Still, I guess there's no harm trying…'

I peered inside the food court. There were refrigerators containing all sorts of beverages and shelves with snacks stacked on them. I could also locate a door labeled 'storage room'. I crossed my fingers. 'Excuse me, is there anyone here?'

I had to heave a sigh of relief as a young woman answered. 'Yes?'

It came from inside the storage room.

'I see,' Kanade said quietly. 'It seems we're not the only ones here in this world…'

The woman that walked out and greeted us had long grayish hair and slightly dazed eyes. She smiled as she saw us. 'Welcome!'

'I guess that means the cafeteria is open.' I smiled at Kanade.

'What is a cute couple like you two doing here so early in the morning?'

I flushed, waved my hands frantically and said hastily, 'Oh, no… You see, we're just… um, I mean… we've just come to buy something.' I looked away, embarrassed at myself.

I stole a glance at Kanade. I could catch the slight movement as she lowered her head by two millimeters. She seemed… sad.

I handed the woman the two Mapo Tofu tickets.

'Interesting choice,' the woman said, smiling. 'Not many students here are brave enough to try this, you know. Well, not that there are many students here to begin with. Hardly anyone ever comes here anymore…' she looked away and her voice trailed off before turning back to me. 'Oh, I'm sorry. Um… that would be 600 yen.'

It suddenly occurred to me that I might not have any money on me.

My face turned red as I searched all my pockets. It would be embarrassing for me to confess to Kanade I didn't have any money. _Too_ embarrassing, especially since I was the one who had volunteered to treat the starving girl to a bite…

I sighed with relief as my hand found a note. I grabbed it and pulled it out.

_Plack._ Along with the one-thousand-yen note now held in my hand, a crumbled piece of paper fell on the floor. I crouched down and picked it up before handing the woman the money.

'What's this?' I absentmindedly took the change as I unfolded the piece of paper and inspected it. It was a poster of some kind.

'Oh,' Kanade said. 'That's…'

'Inter-School Science and Mathematics competition?' I asked. 'Why do I have something like that in my pocket?'

Kanade chuckled once. I looked at her, confused. 'What's so funny?'

She waved her hands. 'Oh, no. I'm just a bit surprised you brought this here with you.'

'What do you mean?'

She shook her head and chuckled once more. 'Never mind, it's nothing.'

'Here you go,' the young woman said as she carried two big bowls of Mapo Tofu, placed them on two trays and handed them to us.

'Wow,' I said as I took one. 'Sure looks… impressive.'

'This is the best food you'll ever taste,' Kanade said, beaming. 'Trust me.'

There were many available seats in the cafeteria. We chose one by the windows nearest to the food court and sat down. I scooped a spoonful of hot tofu and inspected it. The sensory receptors in my nose could already sense danger and were firing rapid signals to my brain.

I looked at Kanade, who was busily digging in and oblivious to my hesitation. She looked so happy._ Poor girl… she hasn't eaten in three days…_

I looked at the tofu again, took a deep breath and ate.

From the moment the tofu touched my tongue, my mouth felt like it was on fire. I nearly coughed it up out of reflex, but I managed to hold it in. Lucky for me, the kind young lady had placed a cup of cold water on each of our trays, apparently expecting something like this to happen. I took it and drained it in an instant. I gasped, almost out of breath.

I should never have trusted her…

'Are you okay?' Kanade asked, concerned.

'Okay?' I nearly shouted. 'This is spicy as hell!'

She looked down a bit. 'But you told me once that you liked it…'

'I… did?' I didn't remember that. But then again, I didn't remember anything. 'Well, I guess the aftertaste _is_ good…' I looked at her untouched cup of water and the already half-eaten bowl of tofu. 'You're really something, you know that? Don't you think it's too spicy?'

'No… I think it's really good.'

I looked at my bowl of tofu, starting to feel depressed. Sure, the aftertaste was good, but burning your tongue every time you took a bite was just too heavy a price… 'I'm going to ask for another cup of water. Actually, I think I'm going to go for a kettle…'

When I returned to the seat with at least 5 liters of water, I decided it was time to get some answers.

'Hey, Kanade,' I said. 'There's something I've been meaning to ask you.'

'Yes?' She looked up at me.

'I couldn't help but notice. When we were in the health room, you said I entered this world three days ago. What did you mean? Why am I here? Am I a student at this school? Did something happen to me?' I fired my questions.

Kanade looked away. 'Are you sure you want to know?'

'Of course. Why wouldn't I?'

'Well… because… this is the Afterlife.'

I had mustered all my courage and was just about to take another bite but my hand froze in place. The Afterlife?

'Huh?'

'I mean, since we're both here, that means we must be dead.'

I… died? I looked at her to see if she was joking, but there was no humor in her eyes. She was serious.

'No, no, no. You've got it all wrong,' I said. 'The way I see it, since we're both here eating, that means we must still be alive. I may have lost my memories, but I'm not completely clueless, you know?'

'I'm telling the truth!' she insisted. 'This is a school for the dead. Everyone who isn't satisfied with their previous lives gets a chance to fulfill their lives and dreams here before they move on.'

Probably sensing that I didn't believe her, she gestured at the smiling young lady behind the counter who was watching us and said, 'You can ask her!'

'Uh-uh,' I said and shook my head. 'No way! I'm not going to ask someone whether she's dead or not. I'm not that crazy.'

'To be honest, I don't understand it all myself,' she admitted. 'Like why _you_ are here, Yuzuru.'

'Well, according to _you_, –' I raised an eyebrow and put unnecessary emphasis on the last part. ' – my being here means I'm dead, doesn't it?'

'Well, that's one thing… you _were_ perfectly well when I left,' she said. 'But that's not what I mean. I don't understand why you would come here instead of just moving on… did you think your life was unfulfilling?'

'Beats me,' I said. 'I don't remember one single thing…' I closed my eyes and got ready for the next trip through Hell as I mustered my courage and put the spoonful of tofu in my mouth.

I drained some water. _God, that burns…_

'So why are _you_ here?' I asked, sticking my tongue out from the pain. 'Did _you_ think your life was unfulfilling?'

Kanade frowned. 'I've come here to fix a problem, and I'm going to fulfill that purpose,' she said in a very serious tone.

'Huh?' I looked at her stupidly. _What is up with this girl? She keeps saying strange things all the time…_

'You know, she's right.' That was the voice of the young woman. She slowly approached us and said calmly, 'This _is_ the Afterlife.' She smiled at Kanade and asked, 'But I'm curious. Where did you get that information? I don't think I've seen you before; you must be new here.'

'Well, not technically…' Kanade said sheepishly before looking like she suddenly remembered something 'Um, miss, there's something I want to ask you.'

The young woman was still smiling warmly. 'What is it?'

'Just a while ago, you mentioned hardly anyone ever comes here again. Why is that? Don't the students here need to eat?'

'Well, they do. But they are scared.'

'Scared? Scared of what?'

'The Monster.'

Kanade frowned and whispered, 'So that's what it means…'

I nearly choked on my tofu, which made the spicy taste even more unbearable. My mouth was on fire when I asked, dumbstruck, 'M-monster?'

'It is a huge being that consumes students. I don't really know how to describe it. It is said that almost every new student that comes here immediately gets eaten by the Monster, and students that _were_ here to begin with are falling victim to it one by one… In fact, in the past month, there was only one newcomer girl who was lucky enough to escape its attack. Believe it or not, this place has become an incredibly dangerous place to live in. I hear not even members of the Battlefront know how to deal with it…'

Kanade's head snapped up. 'Battlefront?'

'Why, yes,' the young woman said. 'There are some students here who are resisting the evil forces and call themselves SSS or something like that…'

'Shinda Sekai Sensen… I see,' Kanade whispered to herself before asking again, 'So where can I find this Battlefront?'

'Why are you so interested?' the young woman asked. 'Ah, well, it's not like it's any of my business. Hmm… well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I only know the names of some of the members who visit the cafeteria occasionally. I really don't know much about them, not to mention their hideout…'

'That's okay. Thank you very much for your help,' Kanade said, bowing slightly in her seat.

The young woman smiled. 'You're welcome.'

My head was about to explode after hearing all this incomprehensible conversation. _Monster? Battlefront? Afterlife? What is all this…_

'Um… miss,' Kanade said just as the young lady was about to turn and leave. 'The girl you mentioned just now that escaped the monster's attack. Who is she?'

'I'm afraid I don't know her name, but I hear she's been accepted to the Battlefront. Since you're looking for them, I'm sure there's a good chance you'll find her too.' With that, she flashed us a smile before turning and leaving.

'Okay…' I said. 'What was that all about?'

'I'm not entirely sure,' Kanade said, frowning slightly. 'I hope everything clears up when we meet the Battlefront.'

I groaned. 'You know, I'm still not buying the story.'

She chuckled. 'You didn't believe me too when you first came here.' She looked down at her right hand and caressed it. 'And I haven't really apologized for stabbing you.'

'What?'

That was when… the earth below us started trembling slightly.

I saw the ripples in Kanade's cup of water as it shook. The tables in the cafeteria also trembled, producing soft sounds as the metal legs hit the ground. _What's happening? An Earthquake?_

'Oh no,' it was the voice of the young woman. 'It's here.' I directed my gaze to the food court.

'What is?' I said, feeling slightly dizzy.

She pointed outside the windows. 'The monster…'

I jerked my head and looked outside the huge window just beside our table, and gasped.

In the huge space between the entrance to the cafeteria and the stairs, black smoke was rising from the ground. Instead of disappearing like ordinary smoke, it seemed to hover in the air as it accumulated. Then, slowly, it condensed and took the form of a … humanoid figure? It stood on one leg and was almost as high as the cafeteria itself, its hands lashing out before it suddenly roared… a dull, penetrating roar…

All the trembling died down once the 'Monster' had completely emerged.

'W-what is that…'

'It must have sensed the different presence in the cafeteria…' the young woman said.

'Did it come for us?' I kept my voice from breaking from terror.

'Come on,' the young woman urged. 'I'll take you to a safe place.'

Kanade frowned and stood up abruptly, causing the seat below her to stagger a little. She took my hand and said in a low, alarmed voice, 'Stay close to me.' With that, she headed towards the entrance.

'Hey, where are you going?' I could hear my voice trembling a bit with the surroundings.

'No, don't!' the young woman shouted from behind us. 'Don't go there. You don't stand a chance against it!'

Kanade locked her grip on my hand and ran to the entrance. Up close, the giant monster looked even more intimidating. It fluttered, looked down on us and readied its claws.

'Stay behind me,' Kanade instructed as she slowly released her grip and held her fist in front of her chest. 'Trust me, I can handle this.'

'What, are you crazy?' I shouted. 'This thing's a giant! Didn't you hear the lady? We need to escape!'

Kanade ignored me and whispered, 'A shadow… so you're the one who's been causing all the trouble…'

The monster roared again.

Kanade clenched her fists and frowned. 'I won't allow you to hurt any of my friends again.' She took a deep breath. _What is she doing?_

'_Guard Skill: Hand Sonic.'_

I stood dumbstruck, my gaze fixated on the blade now protruding from the back of Kanade's right hand. It had a blue color and was… glowing… somehow. 'Y-your hand…' My voice was clearly shaking now.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who was shocked. I heard someone gasp from behind me. I spun around to see the young woman had followed us out of the cafeteria. 'I-is that…' her voice was, for the first time, trembling. Then she frowned as she looked intently at Kanade. 'Angel…'

_Angel?_

The monster suddenly extended its huge right claw and reached for the white-haired girl. The movement was sudden and was almost as fast as lightning,

I could feel my heart leap out of my chest as Kanade hopped out of the way and slashed the extended claw with the luminous blade.

The claw detached from the arm for a moment before some black smoke bound them up again. Then it changed directions and again went straight for Kanade.

She jumped and spun in the air and slashed at it again, this time dealing a deeper wound. The monster didn't wait until it healed. Instead, it extended its other claw to the girl now bound in mid-air…

She had no way to escape…

Stunned by everything that was happening, I forgot how to speak and just stood helplessly.

Just when the huge black monster could capture the white-haired girl, though…

'_Guard Skill: Delay.'_

She was quickly replaced by an afterimage while the real person was safely transported to the ground. The monster's grip only closed in on air…

_What just happened?_

Seizing the opportunity, Kanade commanded, _'Guard Skill, Hand Sonic.'_

With another shining blue blade protruding from the back of Kanade's left hand, she pulled a fighting stance and quickly spun her body like a whirlwind.

The way she was dancing with the blades looked so beautiful. Even in the midst of a dangerous battle, you could feel the elegance radiating from the girl.

The monster tried to attack and grip the girl from all sides, but the two blades formed a flawless shield around her, deflecting every attack and even damaging the monster at times. It was a skill that made the girl invincible. Flawless defense and powerful offence all in one.

_Bang_. Kanade's attack was interrupted by a gunshot. It penetrated the monster's body, leaving a temporary hole before it healed itself again.

Kanade jumped back and shielded me with her body. I felt safe yet ashamed: usually it was the other way around…

The blades had vanished without a trace, yet Kanade was still worked up and clenched her fists in front of her chest. 'The SSS is here,' she said, not even panting.

'I'll fend him off. You save the newcomers!' A guy shouted and I could make out a figure now standing behind the monster. From a distance, I could see the spectacled boy with dark blue hair aiming a pistol at the monster… without any clothes on.

'What the…' I said.

'Don't order me around,' it was another boy, who was casually walking around the corner towards the cafeteria. 'I am God. If anyone, you should be following my orders.'

'Hurry!' the stripping guy shouted as he fired a few more rounds, leaving more temporary holes in the monster's body. He had successfully diverted the monster's attention from us and had bravely taken on the monster on his own.

The boy who had just called himself God snorted. He had chin-length dark green hair with fringes swept slightly to the right. In addition to a dark blue cap he was wearing, I noticed he was wearing the same uniform as me.

He slowly and casually approached us with both hands in his pockets, but when he finally saw us, his eyes widened in surprise. 'Otonashi!' he gasped.

I looked around. _Who's Otonashi?_

'And Tachibana!' he gasped again. 'Why are you guys here?'

Kanade smiled. 'Long time no see, Naoi.'

His eyes widened further.

'Hey, hurry up, will ya!' The blue-haired boy now busy defending against the monster shouted.

That Naoi guy shouted back, 'Hey, Takamatsu. Guess who the "newcomers" are!'

'I don't care! Just get them so that we can get outta here!'

'It's Otonashi and Angel!'

'Huh?' The blue-haired guy blinked and stole a glance in our direction. When he met our gazes, he froze and forgot to defend himself. The monster seized the opportunity and extended its claw.

'Ugh!' the blue-haired guy groaned as the claw penetrated deep into his chest. He dropped his gun and his glasses as he fell to his knees.

'Takamatsu!' Naoi shouted.

'_Guard Skill: Delay.'_ Kanade commanded as she shifted forward, leaving a trail of afterimages behind. She was by Takamatsu's side in a split second.

'_Guard Skill: Hand Sonic.'_ With both blades, Kanade spun once and chopped the claw right off the Monster's body.

It shrieked and suddenly sank back into the ground.

'Whew,' the Takmatsu guy gasped with both hands on the floor for support. 'I thought that was the end for me… You saved me. Thank you, Angel.'

'Kanade…' I shouted, running to the felled stripping guy and the composed white-haired girl. 'Kanade, are you all right?'

She smiled. 'Don't worry, I'm fine.'

I sighed. 'What was that all about? You were whooshing here and there… there were blades appearing on your hands…'

Kanade chuckled once nervously. 'It's quite a long story… But I'm just glad I finally god rid of the shadow…'

Naoi sneered from behind us and fixed his cap. 'That was mere child's play for God.'

'Hey, I don't recall you doing anything!' Takamatsu shouted, suddenly regaining his spirit as he stood up abruptly and pointed at Naoi in his face.

Naoi fixed his cap again, this time holding his hand in place, and sneered again. 'For your information, I did do something. I brought Angel back, don't you see?'

'No,' Takamatsu corrected. 'You're just the one who _found out_ she's back first! That doesn't mean anything!'

'Why you little… I'll lock you in the introspection room!'

'Oh yeah?' Takamatsu flexed his impressive muscles. 'See if you can get past these manly biceps!'

'Guys,' I interrupted. 'Does anyone want to tell me what's going on here? Why is Kanade "Angel" and why is this Naoi guy "God"? Why is there a monster here? How did Kanade use all those skills? What is this world, anyway?'

Naoi widened his eyes in surprise. 'You don't remember, Otonashi?'

'Don't tell me you have amnesia again!' That was Takamatsu.

'Again? What do you mean!' My head was starting to hurt…

Kanade shook her head sadly. 'No, he doesn't remember yet.'

'Oh well,' Takamatsu said. 'Let's go back to the hideout first. We need to tell the other members the good news.' He winked at Kanade. 'After all, Angel is back.'

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><p><strong>Yay! So what did you think? Review! XP<br>Until the next chapter! (which I hope I'll finish in two days)**


	20. Chapter 19: The true enemy

**Hiya! Sorry for the awfully late update DX I know I promised it would only take two days :(**

**(To be honest, last week wasn't a good writing week for me. IDK why. Maybe it was because I really tried rewriting the prologue and chapter 7 but they ended up being a total disaster :S. You'd think that after watching Clannad and Clannad After Story, I would have developed a feel for romance. Sigh...)**

**Well, anyway, I have a good feeling about this chapter, so enjoy :D**

**(Oh, and, things started getting violent and I had to change the rating to T) Oh my...**

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><p>Chapter 19 – The true enemy<p>

**Yuri Nakamura**

_None of it makes any sense…_

_Before today, I had a pretty good theory. Everything I saw led me to believe Angel was our enemy. Even though I couldn't guess at her motive, and even though it hurt me to think of her like that, I was positive I had the answer._

_I mean, everything made perfect sense then, right? Well, almost everything, at least._

_After all, she was the only one able to use Guard Skills in this world. That day, when Angel and I were in the computer room going on our first mission after the reestablishment of the Battlefront, I saw the blades that she used to save me from the Shadows with my own eyes. The very blades that she used when we were in the Afterlife… That must have meant she had a copy of Angel Player of her very own, mustn't it?_

_And then she was also the one who gave me the suspicious computer with the message on it that she said she'd found in the storage room._

_But my suspicions still weren't confirmed. Not until that fateful Sunday. On that day, I discovered Angel scribbling on a piece of paper in front of the computer, constructing yet another message. I snatched that piece of evidence away from her without hearing whatever she had to say. On that day, we didn't only lose Angel, but Otonashi as well. Our six-man team was down to four._

_Her possession of Angel Player, the construction of the new message… they all suggested she was behind all of this._

_Well, there were some questions left unanswered, of course, like:_

_If she had been the one attacking the students, then the shadows that attacked me in the computer room must have appeared under her command. So why would she choose to save me?_

_Still, I could attribute that incident to Angel's mistake or her wanting to have my trust or something like that. Angel was still my best guess._

_After everything that's happened today, though, I find my theory starting to break apart like a building loaded with explosives. I realize I've made a huge mistake. _

_I've been so focused on the enemy that I've subconsciously related every abnormal happening to his (or her) doing. Once I saw the message, I was almost immediately convinced that whoever sent that message had to be our enemy. I never stopped once to think that maybe the attacker and the messenger could be two different people. I mean, the Afterworld is in danger? Why would the enemy send us something like that?_

_So I did a complete rethink…_

_Was An – I mean, Kanade – trying to warn us about something? Has she been on our side this whole time? Have I wrongly accused her of doing something she didn't do?_

_But still, this leads to more daunting questions._

_If Kanade was trying to warn us about something, why didn't she tell us directly? Why go through all the trouble to encrypt it and put it on a computer, much less someone else's computer? And why would she lie and tell us she found the message in a storage room?_

_It makes absolutely no sense…_

_Unless… I was wrong all the way._

_Maybe Kanade doesn't have anything to do with this. Maybe everything she told us _was _true. Maybe she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I just happened to bump into her and got the wrong idea._

I sighed. _I'm giving myself a headache over this._

Now all that thinking happened when all of us were back in the clubroom, staring dumbly at each other. We had spent the last hour tracking down that Fuko girl. We had searched every nook and cranny but there had been no sign of her anywhere, much less the computer. We had even triple-checked the computer room.

The evening sun hadn't completely set behind the mountains yet, so we still had a while before the school closed. But how much time we had wasn't the issue here. If we couldn't find the computer, we still wouldn't make further progress. And we would still be left to make guesses instead of really getting some serious answers.

'The Afterworld…' Takeyama broke the silence – again – as he pushed up his glasses.

'Will you quit that?' Hinata, resting on the floor beside Yui, said. 'You've been repeating that every five minutes. It's getting on my nerves.'

'Does an Afterworld really exist?' Takeyama asked no one in particular.

'Well, yeah,' I answered that. 'I mean, all of us still have our memories of that place. Except you… apparently.'

'Is that so?'

'Yeah. You were there too. You were a member of Shinda Sekai Sensen. That's why I don't understand. Why is it so hard to make you remember…'

'He's an idiot,' Noda said, still standing and swinging his axe. 'That's why.'

'I fail to see the relation,' Takeyama said calmly before whispering to himself. 'Still, if an Afterworld really exists…' His voice trailed off, and he mouthed something to himself. I wasn't good at reading lips, but I was pretty sure he was saying "Otonashi", though I didn't know what he had to do with it.

'Hey, Yurippe,' Hinata said. 'What do you think the message means?'

I grunted and clenched my fists. 'I don't know.'

'But if Angel – '

I cut him off. 'I don't think Kanade has anything to do with the message.'

'But I thought you said – '

'I was wrong, all right?' I was getting impatient. I slammed my fist on the table, and the notebook computer – the original one – jumped a little. 'Sitting idly by never solves anything. We're going to go look for her again.'

From the looks on my teammates' faces, I could say they weren't looking forward to another round of hide-and-seek. In fact, Hinata tried to formulate an objection. 'Hey, Yurippe, we've searched everywhere. She's not at the school.'

'I don't care!' I shouted. 'There's one last message to be decoded, and I can tell that's going to be the key to the whole thing. We're not resting until we get our hands on that computer!'

Hinata sighed. At the same time, the door to the clubroom gave a loud noise as someone suddenly barged in here. It would be too much of a hassle to reach up and pull the water guns from the shelf, so I just directed my gaze to the door without any intention of punishing the sudden intruder for not delivering the password.

I stared at her, not believing my eyes.

Standing before us was who we'd been trying so hard to track down. A girl with long greenish hair… Fuko Ibuki had come calling.

/ / / / / / / / / /

Noda flinched almost reflexively at the sight of her and hastily hid his axe behind his back.

The girl was panting heavily and hugging her computer in front of her chest. 'Finally, Fuko's found you,' she said, out of breath.

'Hinata, quick, lock the door,' I shouted, and Hinata sprang readily in response to my command. I suddenly felt like a kidnapper, but I couldn't care less now.

Apparently, that wasn't needed, since the green-haired girl wasn't planning on escaping. Once she had caught her breath, she pointed at me with an accusing finger. 'Don't think you can escape from me. I've been looking for you all over the school.'

'You… have?' I asked dumbly.

'When I came back to the clubroom, none of you were here. You were trying to escape from me, weren't you?'

I managed a bitter chuckle. 'Is that so? We've been looking all over for you too. So, did you come to your senses and decide to give us back the computer?'

Fuko hugged her computer tighter as if to protect it. 'Of course not. This computer belongs to Fuko. Fuko's not letting you have it.'

I lifted an eyebrow. 'Then why did you come?'

She suddenly looked like she was on the verge of crying. She pointed at Takeyama this time. 'You meanie! You wrecked Fuko's computer. Fuko cannot use it anymore!'

'Oh? How so?' Takeyama asked calmly as he pushed up his glasses.

'Don't deny it!' Fuko shouted, acting like an elementary schooler. 'I saw you plugging all sorts of suspicious-looking devices into the computer. Why else would there be creepy messages on Fuko's perfect computer? Give Fuko back her adorable starfish wallpaper!'

'I did no such – '

'You're right. He did it,' I interrupted, struck with sudden inspiration.

'Huh?' Takeyama was completely taken aback.

I ignored him and went on, adopting my most persuasive tone, 'And he's really sorry about it. He's a starfish fanatic and just can't help himself sometimes when he sees a super-cool starfish picture. You know, he was trying to write a poem for it using very advanced software before you barged in. He was writing about how the people in the Afterworld are suffering from a lack of starfish and are thus in danger. It's so touching, don't you think?' _Okay, that makes no sense at all, but hey, I think I still deserve some credit for cooking it up in less than 10 seconds._

'Hmm…' the girl pressed a finger on her lips in thought. 'I guess that makes sense.' _Makes sense?_

She handed Takeyama the computer willingly and bowed. 'Fuko is touched by your kindness. Please finish the poem.' _Man, she really is stupid…_

'As a token of appreciation,' Fuko went on, pulling something out of her back pocket. 'You can have this.'

It was a small wooden starfish sculpture.

'Uh… thanks,' Takeyama managed as he accepted the computer and the sculpture. I could see he wasn't sure what was going on.

'I'm counting on you,' I whispered to Takeyama. He pulled gadgets out of his backpack again and I lent him my armchair.

As we waited, I decided it was time for some answers.

'Fuko, you said this computer belongs to you, right?'

'That's right,' she said, her eyes determined and still fixed on her computer.

'Can you tell me why you would abandon your computer in the storage room over a month ago?'

She didn't answer me.

'Come on, Fuko, I'll buy you a present if you tell me.'

Her face immediately lit up. I sighed. _So predictable…_

But her face suddenly turned hard again. 'No, Fuko can't tell you.'

'Why not?'

'Because… he's dangerous.'

'Who is?'

'The bad man.'

The conversation was incomprehensible. 'Come again?'

She slowly dropped her head. 'Fuko didn't abandon her computer. She was trying to hide from the bad man.'

I lost my tongue for a second. Takeyama shouted behind me, 'Everyone, come look.'

We all gathered around Takeyama. The surge of adrenalin overwhelmed me again as the message slowly revealed itself.

My eyes darted between the second message and the progress bar. It felt like a long time had passed before the first star was replaced by a Greek letter:

**Ω**

'Wow,' Fuko said beside me. 'That really is advanced technology.'

The second letter:

**Ε**

'We…' Hinata said on the other side of the chair. 'The first word's "we" and the third word's "angel's".'

I rolled my eyes. '_Thank_ you, Mr. Obvious.'

The third –

_Rattle._ A noise was heard at the door. All of our gazes were drawn upward at the same time. Someone was trying to enter – and would have if I hadn't asked Hinata to lock the door.

Fuko grabbed my sleeve lightly and hid her body behind me. 'Oh, no, he's here.'

'Who is?' I asked.

'The bad man.' Fuko seemed awfully scared.

I gritted my teeth and shouted, 'Who's there?'

'Yuri, won't you let me come in?' It was a young male's voice. It seemed vaguely familiar. He wasn't raising his voice, but his words were clear as they drifted through the door.

I asked again, 'Who are you?'

'Come on, Yuri, don't tell me you can't recognize an old friend's voice?'

I looked at Fuko once. She tightened her grip on my sleeve and shook her head.

'Whoever you are, you're not welcome here. Go away.'

'I'm sorry I can't do that. You have something I need.'

_Not again…_

'The door is locked. You can't come in.'

He chuckled, sounding amused. 'Do you honestly think a locked door can stop me?'

There was a sound of something sharp carving into the wooden door. Slowly, the tip of a blade emerged on this side of the door as the unwelcome trespasser slowly pushed the weapon into the door.

I recognized the blade well. It had a familiar luminous shade of blue. _Hand Sonic…_

The progression stopped as the blade suddenly turned a deeper shade of blue. All of a sudden the area around it started to turn white. It looked like ice. _Now that's new…_

'Yurippe, what should we do?' Hinata asked as Noda drew his axe and walked towards the door. I didn't stop him. Instead, I drew my own weapons from a drawer, pulled the triggers and aimed the two pistols at the door.

The white ice slowly spread to all four corners, and with a final thrust, the wooden door gave way and broke in chunks.

The perpetrator smiled as the blade vanished from his right hand. 'Long time no see, Yuri.'

I stared in disbelief as **he** came walking in with a casual smile on his face. The shock was overwhelming. I stood trembling with my weapon in hand. 'I-it's you.' Even my voice was trembling.

But other than shock, there was something else that overwhelmed me. It was revelation.

Because at that moment, everything cleared.

'You punk!' Noda shouted as he swung his axe toward **him**. 'This is our turf. How dare you!'

'You're annoying,' **he** said, mildly irritated as he slowly raised his hand. 'I think you should lie down for a while.'

Before Noda's axe could make it halfway towards **his** neck, a bolt of electricity shot from **his** raised hand and struck Noda right in the stomach. Electricity ran across his body for a while before he was knocked out cold.

'Noda!' Hinata shouted before gritting his teeth.

'Noda-san!' Even the long-silent Yui showed concern now.

'It was you all along,' I managed. I still couldn't fully recover from the shock.

'Yes, it was,' **he** said calmly. 'Actually, I'm a bit surprised you couldn't figure it out. You disappoint me, Yuri. Even the silly girl you call "Angel" discovered the truth before you did.'

'This isn't possible…'

'Isn't it?'

'I took care of you in the Afterworld.'

'But I cannot die. Did you forget?'

'Well, then,' I shouted. 'I'll just have to take care of you once and for all!' With that, I fired my pistols alternately. Yui nearly screamed.

But they all bounced off of **his** body like **he** had some sort of protective shield. _Distortion… smart guy…_

**He** came toward us. I abandoned my guns, pulled out a dagger from a pocket and lunged at **him**.

I didn't know I was making a big mistake.

'_Guard Skill: Delay.'_ It was weird hearing that come from a boy's mouth, since I'd only heard Angel say that. **He** dodged my reckless attack easily and with an elegant spin, materialized behind me. **He** snatched the computer from the table, leaving Takeyama's high-tech gadgets dangling in mid-air… again.

'Hey!' Takeyama and Fuko shouted unanimously. 'Be careful with those/that!'

'You are a bad boy,' Yui said as she reached up to pull his ear. That came out of the blue and even **he** forgot to dodge Yui's sudden attack.

'Ow!' **he **cried, but easily pushed her hand aside. 'Quit it.'

There was only one chance left. I would guard the entrance with my life.

'I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I'm running out of time,' **he** said in that unnerving calm voice of **his**. 'Things were going quite smoothly but circumstances have changed recently. I hope you don't mind if I borrow this until I've accomplished my goal. But by then, I doubt you'll need this anyway.'

I avoided the wooden-slash-ice chunks and stepped on solid ground in front of the entrance, refusing to be intimidated by his words and holding onto my only weapon.

'Farewell,' **he** said, slowly raising his free hand again. I gritted my teeth. I saw how it went down with Noda.

I concentrated on **his** hand. I knew somehow **he** had to gather enough energy before **he** was able to shoot a bolt of electricity from **his** hand. Sure enough, even though it was hard to see, small, blue lights were gathering on **his** hand. It tensed and then moved forward by a millimeter.

I saw my chance and ducked, avoiding the bolt of electricity that was now shooting over my head, and rolled forward, aiming my dagger at **his** stomach, and thrust.

'What? Ugh!' My dagger didn't bounce off his body like all the bullets. It went straight through. I guessed distortion didn't really divert sharp objects… I pulled my dagger out.

**He **fell to **his** knees and gave a humorless chuckle. I was about to snatch the computer back before I noticed something. The wound I'd just created was starting to heal already…

White clusters of light gathered on the part of the stomach where I had wounded him, and the hole was closing up already. Blood seeping through the wound and staining the floor and my hand stopped flowing out.

'I have to admit.' **His** voice was a bit weaker than before. 'I was wrong. You didn't disappoint me, Yuri. You're even stronger than before.'

I grunted. This couldn't end like this. Because of **him**, the whole world, _including_ the Afterworld, was in danger. I readied my dagger for another attack.

But I couldn't catch **him** off guard this time. **He** snatched my dagger from my hand before I could attack, and then strode out of the entrance.

'So long, Yuri,' **he** said. 'I'll say hi to Otonashi and Tachibana for you.' Then **he** closed **his** eyes for a brief second and raised **his** hand toward me again. _'Guard Skill: Restore.'_

The wooden-slash-ice chunks started to levitate and put themselves back in place. I didn't remove my stare at the perpetrator until the door was completely restored.

'Yurippe,' Hinata said as he ran toward me. 'Are you okay? Who was he? That scared the crap out of me.'

I looked at my blood-stained hand and muttered to myself. 'His character's really changed a lot…'

'So… who was he?'

I took a breath to calm myself down before saying, 'He's our enemy. He's the program.'

Hinata didn't say anything.

'A program?' That was Takeyama, trying to look calm as he straightened his glasses.

'Yes, or more specifically, _the_ program designed to initiate Guard Skill: Shadow-slash-Reset when we were in the Afterworld.'

Everyone fell silent at that point. I looked at the completely restored door and said, 'By the way, guys, I saw the completely decoded message during the fight.' I turned toward them and said, 'It read: WE NEED ANGEL'S HELP.'

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><p><strong>Until the next chapter!<strong>


	21. Chapter 20: Meet the Battlefront

**Sorry for the terribly late update. I hope I can make it up to you by posting multiple chapters next time XS**

**Here's chapter 20. Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 20 – Meet the Battlefront<p>

As Kanade and I followed the two boys happily skipping ahead of us, I couldn't help but ponder the following question:

_Has my life always been this… supernatural?_

But then again, I _had_ lost my memories, so who knew? Maybe this _was _the way things were and the world really worked this way.

_Nah… _I knew I was just kidding myself.

I tried not to think of anything for the time being, and kept reminding myself that answers would soon come after we'd arrived at the 'Battlefront' thing. Apparently everyone else thought so too, since they had decided not to give me any answers. Even Kanade who seemed to care a lot for me didn't bother to enlighten me, though she was gently holding my hand in reassurance.

I needed that comfort, but it still felt a bit strange. It felt strange because I barely even knew the girl. I had only met her a few hours ago, at least from my perspective.

I stole a glance at Kanade, and found that I wasn't the only one with a lot on my mind right now. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared off into the distance.

None of us were saying anything, and the silence was almost suffocating. I suddenly felt compelled to say something.

'Hey, don't we need to hurry? Won't that monster attack us if we're taking it easy?'

'It can't,' Takamatsu replied as he flexed his muscles. 'Thanks to Angel, it's taken some heavy damage. I don't think it'll come after us anytime soon.'

'Is that so…' I was skeptical but decided not to press.

'We learned that from experience.' Naoi patted my shoulder. 'Don't worry, Otonashi. Nothing's gonna hap–'

_Rumble._

The Earth beneath us trembled once again, this time to an even greater extent.

I was instantly knocked on the ground. Naoi was the second to lose balance and fell. Takamatsu put his impressive muscles to use and managed to balance himself, though barely. Only Kanade was able to defy the sudden earthquake – wait, what? – and stood like a blessed Angel.

All around us, creatures like the one Kanade had just fought off emerged from the ground. They weren't giants like the one before them, but they looked equally vicious.

_Nothing's gonna happen, huh?_

'Quick!' Kanade shouted. 'I'll clear a way. Follow me!'

With that, she charged and lunged for one of the monsters. The luminous blades formed when she was still in mid-air, and with an elegant spin, she slashed twice at the target and it disintegrated.

'Come on!' she urged.

Needless to say, none of us, possibly besides Takamatsu, were able to budge a step. Heck, we couldn't even get on our feet.

Suddenly noticing our difficulties, Kanade flashed – that's right, you heard me – materialized before me and Naoi within a fraction of a second while leaving a slight trail of afterimages behind, heaved Naoi up and grabbed my hand. Within another fraction of a second, we had broken the encirclement with three sets of afterimages behind us.

I nearly toppled but Kanade caught me. Takamatsu had also escaped from the siege with difficulty. The trembling died down a little once we were out of the ring. At least I didn't need to balance myself with Kanade's help.

'You guys go on ahead,' she said. 'I'll take care of these Shadows first.'

'B-but…' I tried to protest, but she stopped me.

'Don't worry about me. I'll be right behind you, I promise.' She sprang back into the circle of menacing 'Shadows'.

I tried to go after her but Takamatsu grabbed my shoulder. 'All right, you heard her. We need to go now.'

'What are you talking about? We need to help her. She's seriously outnumbered!' I looked at the horrifying number of reinforcements springing out of the ground.

'She'll be okay. She's Angel after all.' That wasn't convincing in the least bit.

I grunted. 'You two go on ahead. I'll help her.'

'You'll only be getting in her way. Now come on.' He locked his grip on my arm and pulled me along. I tried to break from his grasp to no avail. His muscles really weren't just for show…

Naoi seemed perfectly relaxed as he tucked his hands in his pockets and walked beside me. I stole a glance over my shoulder and found the horrifying black mass of enemies.

I wanted to help but Takamatsu's grip was like an iron cage. I had no choice but to follow closely in his footsteps.

I directed my gaze forward and found the building we were headed for. It looked rather old and the exterior of the building was wearing out.

Takamatsu dashed through the entrance and headed toward a dark set of stairs. We emerged on the second floor and immediately I could spot our destination. Along a quiet corridor, a room stood out. There was orange light seeping through the gap under its door.

I was right. Takamatsu loosened his grip on my hand and flung open the door and skipped into the room. I was next in line and was hesitating whether to follow him or go back when I was suddenly subjected to a bone-shattering force.

I passed out without even knowing what'd hit me.

/ / / / / / / / / /

'Let's see… how about this: You're-The-One-Who's-Gonna-Die Battlefront!'

I awoke slowly to find myself lying on a soft yellow sofa. My blurred vision was able to make out a wooden ceiling. _Where… am I?_

'This is so stupid.' A girl said coldly.

I adjusted my position and surveyed my surroundings. I was in a room of some sort. A group of people were gathered around a wooden table and a blue-haired girl with a scarf was sitting in an armchair behind it. I was able to locate Kanade in that group of people. Somehow, the scene looked familiar.

'Then how about this: Suicide-Core-Battlefront!' a boy with a large build said as he gestured with his hands.

'This is so stupid,' the girl in the scarf said.

'The Invincible Squadron!' a small boy with dark-reddish hair suggested.

'This is so stupid.'

Kanade chuckled once and threw a sideways glance at me. I waved at her and her face lit up.

'Yuzuru, you're awake!'

Everyone directed their attention at me.

'This is so stupid.'

'Oh, for Christ's sake, Shiina…' Takamatsu said as he straightened his glasses. I noticed he was actually wearing clothes this time.

Kanade rushed over to me and I almost imagined her leaving another trail of afterimages behind. I sat upright.

'Are you okay?' I asked.

Kanade chuckled. 'I should be the one asking you that.'

I was reminded of the black mass. 'The shadows… you were able to defeat them all?'

'No…' Kanade said sheepishly. 'There were too many. But I managed to break free after I'd made sure you were all safe.' She chuckled again. 'Did I worry you?'

'Yeah…' I admitted. 'Who knows what they are capable of…'

I got off the sofa and stretched. Everyone was still staring at me, waiting for me to say something.

'Uh… what exactly happened to me?'

'That was kinda my fault,' Takamatsu said. 'I forgot to say the password so you got hit by a giant hammer.'

'Wait, I what?'

'You got hit by a giant hammer,' Takamatsu repeated. 'It was no biggie.'

I hastily felt the left side of my body. I remembered passing out from the pain but I couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

'All right,' the boy with the large build said. 'Now that's he's conscious again, let's begin our first meeting. Leader?'

The girl in the scarf folded her arms in front of her chest and said, 'We're beginning Operation: Parachute Drop tonight.'

'Huh?' was all I managed to say.

'Shiina, I think we should brief them on the situation first,' Takamatsu said.

'I'm sure they already know everything,' the guy with the large build said. 'After all, why else would they be here?' He turned toward us. 'Angel?'

'Well,' Kanade said. 'I only know part of the story. There's still a lot I don't understand.'

'Which part of the story do you know?' Takamatsu asked.

'You sent us two encrypted messages…'

'Encrypted messages?' Takamatsu interrupted as he straightened his glasses. 'What are you talking about?'

Kanade looked surprised. 'You… weren't the ones who sent them? _The Afterworld is in danger._ Weren't you the ones who gave us the message?'

'We were, but we didn't encrypt it. We needed your help. Why would we make things more complicated?'

'Hmm…' Kanade looked deep in thought for a while.

'We'll figure it out later. Please carry on.'

'I figured out the first one but the second one is still a mystery to me. That was partly because the second one was harder to crack, and partly because I didn't really want to crack it.'

'Why not?'

'Because cracking the meaning of the first message cost me all my friends.' She lowered her head a bit and eyed me once.

'What do you mean?'

'Everyone thought I was the one who sent those encrypted messages and thought that I was the enemy.'

'That's nonsense!' a guy with a wooden stick shouted. 'Our enemy didn't send the messages. We did!'

'But they were encrypted, so I couldn't blame Yuri for having the wrong idea.'

'What more do you know?' Takamatsu asked calmly.

'Actually, that's basically all that I know at the moment. I have some questions though. How were you able to send us messages via a computer? I don't understand. Are the real world and this world connected somehow?'

'Well, there _is_ a unique connection all right…' the guy with the build said.

'Unique? What do you mean?'

'It's hard to explain, but you'll understand once she's back.'

'I see…' Kanade frowned before looking up again. 'There's actually another thing I don't understand. Why are you guys still here? Haven't you moved on already?'

The guy with the wooden stick grunted. 'Don't make fun of us just because we didn't remember anything from our past lives and made the same mistakes all over again. Don't mock us just because you're Angel.'

'I didn't mean anything by that, but I see now…' Kanade said in a low voice.

I decided I needed to speak up. 'Okay… I hate to interrupt the fun, but… can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?'

'He has amnesia,' Takamatsu explained to the rest of the group.

'What, again?' the guy with the wooden stick said, annoyance apparent in his voice. 'This punk's a pain… Let's kick him out of here. He's just going to get in our way, you know?'

Before I could raise an objection, there was a knock on the door followed by a girl's voice amidst giggles. 'There's no God, Buddha or Angel.'

'I think we should skip the Angel part now…' Takamatsu said to the girl in the scarf who looked like she didn't care about anything.

The door opened and two girls holding hands came in. 'We're back!'

One girl had long greenish hair and was hugging a notebook computer in front of her chest; another was shorter, and had long, red hair that resembled my own. She was holding a small paper bag with her right hand adorned with a silver bracelet. Around her neck hung a small paper flower.

She stopped in her tracks as she saw me.

She had an expression on her face that I couldn't place.

'What's wrong, Hatsune-chan?' the girl with the green hair asked.

The red-haired girl let go of the other girl's hand and slowly reached for the paper flower as she continued to stare at me.

Her stare was a bit unnerving. I looked around nervously.

Suddenly, her eyes became watery and tears started rolling down her cheeks.

'H-hey…' I was at a complete loss. What was happening?

'I see…' Kanade said beside me. 'The girl that was saved from the monster and got accepted to the Battlefront. It was you.'

'What's the matter, Hatsune?' the guy with the large build asked.

The paper bag she was holding dropped on the floor and a few chestnuts rolled out. Then she threw herself at me.

'Whoa!' My body went stiff as she suddenly hugged me.

'Brother! I'm so glad to see you again.'

I went completely rigid.

'What?' Everyone but Kanade shouted simultaneously.

'Wait, Hatsune,' the guy with the build said. 'You didn't tell us your last name was Otonashi.'

She pulled herself away reluctantly and said between sobs, 'It is. My name is Hatsune Otonashi. I'm his little sister.'

I grabbed her shoulders lightly. 'W-what did you say?'

'Big Brother… don't you remember me?'

'I'm sorry to tell you this,' Kanade said. 'But your brother has amnesia and doesn't remember anything.'

As Hatsune turned to look at Kanade, she gasped and her eyes widened. 'Big Brother's girlfriend is here too…'

That sent another chill down my spine. _Girlfriend…_

I looked at Kanade and found her staring at me with hopeful eyes.

'Brother, please remember!'

'You're a terrible brother!' the guy with the wooden stick said. 'How come you can't even remember your own little sister?'

'Otonashi,' Takamatsu said in a sudden stern voice. 'You need to remember, for the sake of Angel and your sister, and also for the sake of everyone here.'

My head began to throb. 'I… I can't.'

The guy with the build grunted. 'Isn't there anything we can do?'

That was when I heard a smirk. It came from Naoi.

As he walked toward me confidently with Hatsune staring at him curiously, he lowered his head and stared up at me, his eyes a sharp red.

'Guess that means it's my turn now.'

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><p><strong>That's it for now. Thanks!<strong>


	22. Chapter 21: A past revealed Part 1

**Huzzah! Multiple updates as promised!  
>Triple update: Part 13**

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><p>Chapter 21 – A past revealed (Part 1)<p>

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

I tightened my grip on the bunch of flowers I'd just bought as I entered the cemetery. From a distance, I could already spot Hatsune's grave. This would be my first visit. I suddenly wondered if I would be able to go through with this.

Eventually, I took a deep breath, adjusted the position of the book bag on my back, and walked in.

There wasn't anyone else in the cemetery, which was good. I wanted some time to myself anyway. Walking slowly with the heavy sound of crunching gravel, I reached her grave and carefully placed the flowers in front of it.

I looked at the name engraved on the gravestone and found myself in another battle with my tear glands. I knew if I didn't say something soon, I would be overwhelmed with the emotions I'd been trying so hard to suppress.

I forced a smile on my face as I set my book bag down beside me and sat. 'Sure has gotten hot lately.' My voice sounded a bit strange.

'I'm sorry I didn't bring anything besides the flowers.'

I carried on my one-sided conversation. 'So how have you been? Are you making any friends? I bet you are.' I sighed. 'Can't say it's the same for me though.'

A gust of wind blew by and tugged at my short hair. I put it back in place and said, half to myself and half to Hatsune, 'For all I know, all my friends could be hating me now.' My voice sounded melancholy now.

I played with the grass that had grown out of the ground, twisting it unconsciously as my memory did a replay of what had happened earlier today.

Hinata had started a conversation with me with a friendly enough greeting, though what had come next had been fairly awkward for him; Noda had been being himself when he ambushed me and gave me a lecture.

_Better savor what little time you have with your precious Angel…_

Who did he think he was?

I chuckled once bitterly. 'What do I care about them…'

Deep in my heart though, I knew I was lying to myself.

As if to mirror my thoughts and feelings, the sky turned grey and small droplets of rain started falling on my head, soaking my hair and clothes.

It gave me another sense of perspective.

Here, sitting in the graveyard all by myself, for the first time ever, I felt truly lonely.

I had pushed everyone away. Even Kanade was keeping her distance from me.

'If only you were here, Hatsune… you'd tell me what to do…'

Though I was supposed to be her older brother, it had always seemed that she was the one guiding me. In my past life, _she_ had been the one to inspire me to become a doctor. _She_ had been the one to teach me life could be meaningful.

I tightened my grip on the grass until my hand trembled. As if taking her away from me once wasn't enough…

I had kept convincing myself that I could escape from all the pain if I escaped from everything. Now I knew that wasn't true. Not only had I hurt myself, but I'd also hurt everyone around me. In my friends' desperate time of need, I had abandoned them and followed my own path; a path filled only with sorrow.

I was afraid of facing the truth. I was afraid of facing the pain.

I was a coward.

The rain had picked up, and the sky was even darker now. Drops of rain dripped from my hair and stung my eyes.

Unfortunately, there was no going back now. I had almost completely detached myself from my friends. I doubted anyone would want my help now.

_That's not true, Big Brother._

It was just like being hit by a lightning bolt. That voice… it had to be…

I slowly looked up, my eyes widening. 'Ha-Hatsune?'

_Believe in yourself, Big Brother._

It came from nowhere. I stood up abruptly while turning and nearly tripping over my own book bag, but I couldn't see her anywhere. 'Hatsune! Where are you?'

I stood there, waiting for her to say something again so I could locate her. I kept waiting, but it never came back.

I heard the rumble of distant thunder as I stared dejectedly into the distance. Trees just outside the graveyard started to sway as the wind picked up, and I continued to stand, unwilling to let go of Hatsune's soft and reassuring voice in my head.

In the end, though, I had to accept that I had just been hallucinating and that Hatsune could never come back. I let out a deep sigh as I turned and sat back down. Something then caught in my pocket and managed to escape it. It fell on a small puddle with a _plack_.

It was the piece of paper Hinata had given me over lunch, the poster I had crumpled without a second thought.

My heart jumped as I slowly picked it up and opened it.

As I stared at the black text on the poster, another memory rushed into my mind, one that hadn't occurred to me during lunch break because I had been so irritated with Hinata.

It had been a few days ago. I had received a similar invitation. Because of my good grades on the Sciences, my teachers – except my Math Teacher, of course – had been pestering me to join the competition and win something for the school. I had declined the offer instantly, and had pushed that memory to the back of my mind.

_That's right… There _is _something I can do to help._

As I looked at the piece of paper now slightly ruined by the rain, I felt myself frown in determination as I slowly made up my mind.

I'd talk to the school first thing in the morning and accept their offer. Of course, I'd have to hope they wouldn't get mad at me for flatly rejecting it in the first place and that they would be lenient enough to let me join the team.

No… I was sure of it. I had to believe in myself. I'd get myself a place on the team and go all out. I'd let Takeyama have the duel of his lifetime. Then he'd remember and join the Battlefront. _That_ was how I was going to straighten everything out.

I stuck the poster back in my pocket, picked my book bag up, and made a silent oath._ My life as a helpless coward ends here. No matter what hardships I may face in the future, I will face them head-on. I will never abandon my friends again._

Then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The air was damp, but for some reason, it felt refreshing to my soul.

I looked at my sister's grave one last time. 'Goodbye, Hatsune. Thank you.'

That was the last image of my past life I could see. It moved away from me until I was finally brought back to a near-empty classroom in this Afterworld.

Naoi was still looking at me intently with his sharp red eyes across a large wooden table, while Hatsune sat right next to me, holding my hand the whole time.

I stared at her shimmering eyes, and for a while neither of us could speak.

I felt an involuntary _hic_ and my eyes started brimming with tears as the bittersweet memories came flooding in.

I remembered my every visit to the hospital well, and not once had I ever seen her cry in denial or hide from the pain. She would always carry a smile on her face and be optimistic about everything. Unlike me, she had bravely taken on the difficulties ahead of her, even toward the end.

I stared at the silver bracelet she was still wearing through watery eyes and thought back.

_Whenever I'm afraid, this bracelet will remind me that you will always be there to cheer me on, to support me, even if you aren't really here in person._

Only now did I realize I needed her more than she ever needed me.

Thank you, Hatsune.

_Creak._ I heard the sound of wood rubbing together. I located the source of disturbance and found Naoi sprawled on the table.

'Are you okay, Naoi-san?' Hatsune asked, worried.

He looked completely worn out, his breathing quick and uneven. He picked his head up weakly. 'I… I can't do it.'

'What are you talking about?' I asked.

'I tried my best…' He winced and looked like he was in pain.

'What do you mean?'

'I can't show you the rest of your memories.'

'Why not?'

'Someone is countering my powers. I'm sorry, Otonashi. I really… did… try…' He held his forehead before his body wavered and lost its balance. The chair he was sitting on tipped over, and he fell on the wooden floor.

'Naoi!' 'Naoi-san!' My sister and I shouted in unison as I rushed toward him. His eyes were shut tight and his body was slightly trembling. What was going on here?

'Naoi! Naoi!' I shouted as I shook his body. Hatsune stood behind me with a worried look on her face.

He groaned weakly in response. I felt his forehead.

'This is not good. He's burning up. Hatsune, go back and tell the others about Naoi's condition. I'll carry him to the medical room.'

Hatsune nodded and rushed out of the classroom.

'Don't worry, Naoi. You're gonna be okay,' I whispered as I took his right hand and hung it over my shoulder. Then I carefully helped him up and slowly walked him to the medical room.

**Kanade Tachibana**

The discussion among the Battlefront members and the occasional explanations they'd give me were starting to clear things up.

I was able to extract the gist of what they were trying to tell me. The greenish-haired girl called Fuko Ibuki was in the center of all of this, somehow…

She was the link, according to Takamatsu, between this world and the real world.

'That's right,' Takamatsu continued. 'Angel, have you ever heard of a transition state between the living and the dead?'

I shook my head.

'That's understandable. We never did come across such a case when we were here the first time. Basically, a person in this transition state is anyone that is so seriously injured in any kind of accident or so sick that…'

'Someone that is dying,' Matsushita offered.

'_Thank_ you.' Takamatsu rolled his eyes. He gestured at Fuko. 'Anyway, this girl is someone like that. She was involved in a severe car accident and has been in a coma ever since.

'But that's not all. What is unique about her is that she actually has a physical counterpart moving up and about in the real world. In other words, she is also an ikiryō.'

'A ghost,' Matsushita offered.

'That is _not_ quite the same!' Takamatsu said before clearing his throat. 'But they do share many characteristics, so you _could_ say she's a ghost.'

I could see this talk was making Fuko a bit uneasy as she lowered her head and remained silent.

'Anyway,' Takamatsu went on as he straightened his glasses. 'That's why we had this crazy idea of using her computer to send messages. Maybe then her counterpart could also see the messages we sent. If she happened to know any of you, maybe she'd let you see them too, and then maybe we could be saved. We knew it was a token effort, but we had to try something, or else this world was finished.' He smiled and did a thumbs-up. 'But it looks like we did the right thing after all.'

I was a bit surprised by how well – well, in a twisted kind of way – the plan had worked out.

Fujimaki grunted. 'Yeah, sure took you long enough to get here.'

'Not at all! We're lucky Angel even _is_ here!' Takamatsu protested and got into another argument with the samurai.

I used the time to absorb everything he'd said. It wasn't too hard to understand. In fact, if everything had gone according to how Takamatsu said it had, I could even figure out why the messages had appeared to us in an encrypted form. I had a question though.

'If there's a physical counterpart of her in the real world, why didn't you just ask _her_ to come to us directly and tell us everything?'

'You are so stupid,' Shiina suddenly intervened.

'Not at all!' Takamatsu said again. 'You have no idea how much easier it is to explain all this to Angel than to Otonashi!'

He turned to me and straightened his glasses again. 'Because although they're the same person, this Fuko Ibuki and the ghost Fuko Ibuki are separate individuals, if you know what I mean.'

'The one in the real world doesn't know anything that's happening in the Afterworld,' Matsushita offered.

'I see…'

'In any case, since you're here, we can finally commence a successful Operation: Parachute Drop and eliminate our enemy once and for all!' Takamatsu's face seemed to shine with resolve as he said that.

Ōyama chuckled nervously. 'That's right. We can't hide forever. Well, we can… but we'd soon be running out of places to hide.'

'We change hideouts every day,' Takamatsu explained. 'It's the only way to ensure our enemy doesn't find us and wipe us out.'

'Though it really seems peaceful here,' I said.

'You're right. It _seems_ that way,' Takamatsu said. 'But you have no idea what our enemy is capable of. The giant Shadow was just one trick up his sleeve.'

'I see… so is that why you want my help? To neutralize the enemy's attacks and help you get to the enemy's hideout?'

'Well, that's… part of the reason…' Takamatsu said hesitantly as he scratched his face. 'There's actually more than the enemy's attacks that are stalling us. The supposed anti-Angel traps were a pain.'

I couldn't agree more.

'We always lose one member per trap,' Takamatsu continued. 'And since the number of traps is larger than the number of Battlefront members… well, you get the idea…'

'We thought if even one of us had Guard Skills, the whole operation would be a cinch,' Ōyama said. 'But the only available Angel Player software was in the Girls' Dorm.'

'Angel's Domain, to be specific,' Takamatsu said.

'Or your Dorm Room, for short,' Matsushita offered.

'That's right,' Takamatsu said. 'And we lack the necessary expertise to crack the code. That's why we need your help.'

I had another question.

'But what does the enemy want to achieve through all this? He wouldn't attack us for no reason, would he?'

'Unfortunately, we don't know his motive yet…' Takamatsu said.

'Maybe he wants to take over the Afterworld.' Ōyama chuckled as he touched the back of his head.

'Ha!' Fujimaki said. 'Just like that idiot Naoi did once.'

'That could be one reason,' I said. 'But he's targeting the real world as well.'

Everyone looked up and said in unison, 'What?'

'Yeah, shadows appeared in the real world. I saw them with my own eyes.'

'But how…' Takamatsu said.

'I don't know…'

Everyone looked deep in thought for a second.

'Well, the important thing is we know the enemy is up to no good,' Takamatsu was the one to break the ice. 'Whatever his reason is, we still need to defeat him. It remains our first and foremost priority.'

Then there was only one thing left to do now.

'Before we begin the operation,' I said. 'I'll need to go back to my Dorm Room first.'

'Why?'

'I want to check on the software to make sure everything works out.'

'I guess that makes sense… Do you need our assistance?'

'No. I'll be fine.'

'Then we'll meet back here. Naoi should be done with Otonashi by then, and then we'll be in the final battle for peace.'

'The _real_ battle,' Matsushita reminded him.

I was just about to make my way out of the room as something occurred to me.

'By the way, I'm curious to know what the second message you sent us was.'

'It just said we needed your help, that's all,' Takamatsu said before adding, 'That reminds me… should I send another message telling Fuko you're here? Is there anyone else besides you and Otonashi who knew Fuko?'

I would have to tell an exceedingly long story if I told him I actually came across the computer by accident and that none of us really knew Fuko, so I said, 'Yes. Yuri, Hinata, Noda and Yui are all part of the Real-World-Battlefront.'

Fujimaki shuddered involuntarily. 'I'm glad we don't have to team up with that creep Noda.'

'Okay,' Takamatsu said as he made up his mind. 'Fuko?'

'Leave everything to Fuko!' the greenish-haired girl spoke in her childlike voice.

By this point, I didn't need to tell them that any message they sent was bound to be encrypted. This girl, and her computer in particular, was the link between this world and the real world, but it was an unrefined one. Data discrepancy was bound to occur.

I just hoped Takeyama had found Yuri by now.

_Bang!_

The door burst open and in came a small red-haired girl now panting heavily.

'You need to come quick,' Hatsune said between deep breaths. 'Naoi-san's collapsed!'


	23. Chapter 22: Obliteration

**Triple update: Part 2/3**

* * *

><p>Chapter 22 – Obliteration<p>

**Yuri Nakamura**

I'd messed everything up.

I wasn't fit to be a leader…

A good leader should be able to view a situation as a whole and think analytically. Instead, I'd resorted to subjective speculations.

In the end, I'd hurt everyone, especially Otonashi and Kanade.

_You need to be very careful of Kanade Tachibana. If you know what's best for you, you will heed my warning._

_We believe Tachibana is the culprit we've been trying so hard to look for._

I slammed my blood-stained fist on the wooden table, leaving a red mark on it. _I was a fool!_

'That was so scary…' Yui said, her voice trembling a little.

'My precious gadgets…' Takeyama muttered again as he sobbed quietly in a corner. 'Gone…'

Fuko puckered her lips. 'Fuko's computer is much more valuable than your stupid poem-writing tools!' Her voice nearly broke as she neared tears. 'Wah! Fuko's precious starfish wallpaper!'

'Why do you need a computer anyway?' Hinata asked. 'You just want that wallpaper, don't you?'

Fuko continued to cry.

'I wonder who that was,' Hinata muttered to himself.

'I told you, he was a program,' I said through gritted teeth.

'But computer programs don't just manifest themselves as humans with Guard Skills… do they?'

I thought back to my unreasonable actions and slammed my fist on the table again. I hated myself so much I could readily pass out.

'H-hey,' Hinata said as he chuckled nervously. 'Don't get so worked up, Yurippe. There's still a chance.'

'There's nothing left for us to do…' I muttered. 'He took the only thing we had.'

There was a moment of hesitation before Hinata said, 'We can always take it back, can't we?'

I wasn't in the mood for appreciating Hinata's attempt at cheering me up.

Takeyama, though, looked up as though he'd just been struck by a wave of revelation. 'Take it back…' he muttered. He slammed his right fist on his left palm. 'That's it. I can still take them back.'

Noda groaned as he slowly came to and pulled himself up. 'You bastard… You think a little electricity can kill me? Die a hundred times!'

'Uh…' Hinata said. 'He already left.'

'So… we're playing hide-and-seek, huh? That coward…' Noda snorted.

'Knock it off!' I shouted as I looked up from the table and said in a surprisingly desperate tone, 'He's gone, and there's nothing we can do now…'

'That's not quite true.' Takeyama seemed to have composed himself as he walked up and straightened his glasses.

We directed our gaze at the small boy.

'You see, I didn't limit myself to buying all the latest devices Japan had to offer. I also implanted tracking devices in every one of them in case something like this happened.'

'This guy is unbelievable…' Noda muttered.

'And since the enemy took my gadgets along with Fuko's computer…' Takeyama continued.

'If we find your gadgets…' Hinata said, deep in thought.

'… we find our enemy,' I finished. _There _is_ still hope after all…_

'And Fuko can have her computer back!' Fuko beamed.

'Great job, Takeyama,' I said.

'Christ,' Takeyama corrected.

I ignored him and went on, 'Where do your tracking devices lead us?'

Takeyama said calmly, 'Now, don't be impatient. It won't be a moment.' He reached for his backpack and unzipped it. Then he fished around before pulling another device out.

It had a small monitor and Takeyama hit a few buttons to light it up.

It immediately showed the complete layout of our school.

'Is this thing GPS or something?' Hinata muttered.

Takeyama said calmly, 'They're based on the same principle. Now look.' He tapped the monitor a few times and blinking dots appeared on the monitor.

They all indicated the same location. Some place about 20 stories below ground level in the middle of nowhere.

At least, it would look like it was in the middle of nowhere to everybody besides the members of the Battlefront.

'The Guild…' I muttered.

'Where?' Takeyama asked.

'The Guild,' Hinata said. 'Like where we stock up on weapons and ammo?'

'There's a place like that?' Takeyama looked confused.

'Oh right,' Hinata said. 'I forgot you still don't remember anything.'

'Don't talk about me like that!' Takeyama protested. 'I'm Christ!'

'Okay, let's go,' I said impatiently as I reached the door and flung it open. What I saw stopped me in my tracks.

Something was very wrong…

'Hinata, what time is it?' I asked.

Hinata checked his watch before replying, 'It's 5.36. Why?'

I pointed out the door. 'Look.'

Black skies stretched as far as the eye could see. No… I couldn't even see the sky. Everything was pitch black.

'What the…' Hinata said beside me.

It was like the whole school had been plunged into darkness.

'What is this…' Noda said behind me.

'It's _him_,' I said as I gritted my teeth. 'It's one of his dirty tricks.'

'Is this Guard Skill?' Hinata asked. 'I've never seen anything like it.'

'Perfect,' Noda said. 'How are we going to get to the Guild like this?'

'Here!' Fuko said cheerfully as she handed each of us a torch. A small wooden starfish sculpture hung from each of them.

'Looks like we'll have to make do with these then,' I said as I toyed with mine.

'Okay, tell us where you stole these,' Hinata said while shooting a sideways glance at Fuko.

'Fuko didn't steal them!' she protested. 'These are all mine!'

'Why are you carrying so many torches?' Yui asked with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

To my surprise, Fuko suddenly looked down a little. 'Fuko never goes home. The lights are always off at school at nighttime…'

'Hmm…'

'Hey, Yurippe…' Hinata said hesitantly. 'Do you think we should put this off until it's at least a little brighter? I have a really bad feeling about this.'

Noda snorted. 'Coward.'

'No!' I rejected his suggestion in an instant. 'That's exactly what _he_ would want us to do! We'll find him no matter what!'

Hinata sighed. 'Then I guess we're going then…'

/ / / / / / / / / /

I didn't know walking in complete darkness could be so nerve-racking. Even though we had a few torches as visual assistance, the quietness still crept me out. I remained vigilant yet determined. I wasn't going to mess up again. This time, I'd get him for sure, for everyone's sake.

We were finally out of the school building, and I could already sense something different about this school. Something _other_ than the sudden pitch blackness. It took me a while to pinpoint that.

'There's no one here…' I observed.

'Why, you're right,' Takeyama said.

'Where did everybody go?' Hinata asked as he moved his torch.

I stopped in my tracks. 'I guess it's finally happening.'

'What is?' Hinata asked.

I turned toward him and was greeted with strong torch light. 'Hey! Stop shining that on me!'

Hinata quickly moved his torch away. 'Sorry, sorry…'

I sighed. 'I think he has finally begun his move. This school is on the verge of destruction right now.'

_Clap! _A bolt of lightning flashed and illuminated the sky. Rain started pouring down at the same moment.

'Shoot,' I cursed. 'It's raining… come on, we still have a ways to go.'

I was just about to break into a run when something made me stop. It was faint, but it was visible. I quickly directed my torch at it.

I broke into a sweat as I realized how perilously close I came to danger. If I had taken one more step, I would have collided with the Shadow blending in with the dark.

'Whoa, where did that come from?' Hinata asked.

_So that's how you wanna play… _I reflexively reached for my gun… and found that I didn't have one.

_Idiot! I actually forgot to bring one!_

'Don't worry, Yurippe,' Noda said as he readied his axe and threw away his torch. 'I'll take care of it.'

He charged toward the Shadow at full speed and rainwater sloshed around under his feet. With a swing of his axe, the Shadow was sliced in half and disintegrated. Noda brushed his nose once. 'Take that, jerk.'

_Rumble. Clap!_

The Earth beneath us suddenly trembled and lightning flashed in the sky again. From the light, I could see Shadows springing out of the ground all around us. They encircled us and had us totally surrounded.

Fuko gasped. 'What is this…'

I gritted my teeth. _Dang… it was a trap._

'Battle formation!' I shouted as Noda, Hinata and I formed an equilateral triangle, protecting the other three defenseless members on the team.

On second thought, without a gun, I was just as defenseless…

'Hey, do any of you have a spare gun?' I asked.

'I don't even have mine,' Hinata admitted.

'Bring it on,' Noda whispered darkly as he tightened his grip on his axe.

Lightning flashed across the sky and I could see the Shadows undeterred by the heavy rain as they slowly closed the distance between us.

I grunted. 'Didn't any of you remember to bring a gun?'

'Well…' Hinata said hesitantly. 'We left so quickly…'

I gave my brain a quick workout.

Even if I was by myself, I wouldn't be able to take on so many Shadows without a weapon. I'd learned that the hard way when I was on Operation: Girl Scouts. On top of that, having to protect all my teammates in near-total darkness was unthinkable.

However, I could sense something different this time.

What was it…

_That's right._ It was determination and anger.

I frowned as I took a determined step and sloshed some water. The heavy rain was fueling the fire burning in my heart instead of quenching it.

I silently made an oath. _I'm never going to let my friends get hurt in any way again, even if it means giving up my own life._

I threw a quick sideways glance at Noda, who looked like he was ready to spring any moment.

This was my chance to redeem my previous actions.

'Hinata!' I cried as I snatched the axe from Noda's strong arms and glared at the Shadow just in front of me.

'What are you doing, Yurippe!' Noda demanded.

'Make sure everyone leaves here safely,' I said as I looked back and directed a weak smile at Hinata. 'I'm counting on you.'

Then I let out a battle cry and lunged for the group of Shadows…

/ / / / / / / / / /

_Yuri…_

… _the Sandwich Rule. It will appear on your coming exam, so be sure to…_

_Yuuuuriiii…_

… _used to confirm the limit of a function via comparison with…_

_Yuri!_

I awoke slowly to find myself staring directly out a window at a morning sun. I squinted reflexively as I picked my head up from a small wooden desk.

_W-where am I?_

It was quiet. I couldn't hear anything except what could only be considered rhythmic tapping of a piece of chalk on a blackboard and the soft and droning voice of a middle-aged man. I slowly directed my gaze forward in bewilderment.

A teacher I didn't recognize had a textbook in hand and a white piece of chalk in another, and was busily writing a formula of some sort. The rest of the class was silently copying everything down into their notebooks.

'Yuuuuriiii…' a girl whispered behind me and poked me in the back. I spun around, still bewildered, and found a cheerful girl with short brown hair smiling at me and playfully poking at me with a mechanical pencil. It was a girl I didn't recognize.

She continued to stare at me with playful eyes before whispering in a musical tone, 'Were you sleeping again?'

'Uh…' I was still feeling too lost to deliver a sensible answer.

Her expression remained playful as she whispered into my ear excitedly, 'Were you dreaming about a boy?'

I cocked my head.

The cheerful girl giggled quietly. 'I knew it!'

'Hey…' the middle-aged teacher spun around lazily and said in his droning voice. 'Keep quiet over there…'

'Sorry, Teach!' the girl said as she held back her giggles.

As soon as she made sure the teacher was facing the blackboard again, she eagerly whispered into my ear again. 'Anyway…'

I wondered if this girl had understood the teacher. But then again, it wasn't like I followed teachers' every order…

She must have noticed my slight change of expression, since she protested while still adopting a playful tone, 'Don't look at me like that. I really have something important I want to ask you!'

I arched an eyebrow.

She chuckled as she thrust her Math textbook at me. 'I don't understand any of this from here on down. What's the Sandwich Theorem anyway?'

'And… why do you think I'd know anything about that? I suck at Math.'

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. 'Aw, don't mess with me, Yuri. I promise I won't tell anyone you're in love…' she nearly giggled at the end.

I rolled my eyes. 'But I wasn't kidding! I hate science subjects…'

She looked a bit confused. 'But you rank first in every subject. Come on, Yuri! I really need your help! I don't want to fail my Math exam again…'

_I rank first in every subject… If only that was the case._ 'Anyone who knows me knows I suck at Math, so either you're messing with me or you're trying to make fun of me.'

She could tell I wasn't kidding. Now she looked at me with a worried expression. 'Are you okay, Yuri?'

That was a good question. I wasn't sure how to answer that.

'Ah.' She cheered up again as a wave of realization hit her. 'Don't worry. Don't worry. I completely understand.'

'You do?'

She raised a finger as if to emphasize her point. 'You must be lovesick!'

I rolled my eyes again before something suddenly occurred to me. 'Are you… Hitomi?'

She cocked her head. 'Of course I am.'

I smiled and muttered to no one in particular, 'I see.'

She sighed a bit dramatically. 'This is boring…'

The teacher cleared his throat without bothering to turn around and Hitomi covered her mouth quickly. Then she whispered while touching her stomach, 'But all this talk about sandwiches is making me a little hungry. What do you say we go grab some at the cafeteria for lunch?'

I stopped listening halfway as I started to comprehend the situation. Hitomi had just given me the answer I needed to figure out where I was. After all, it wasn't the first time I'd experienced something like this. And Hitomi had been here the other time too…

'So once again, I've become an NPC…' I muttered unknowingly.

'Huh?' Hitomi asked. 'Did you say something, Yuri?'

I turned to look at the empty notebook and the sharpened pencil on my desk and felt a little nostalgic, and I couldn't help but deliver a bitter smile.

Hitomi poked at me again a few times and whispered cheerfully into my ear, 'Okay, okay. I know you don't want me to bother you when you have someone – uh, I mean something – on your mind.' It was obvious she did that on purpose, as she couldn't control her giggling again. 'Well, I'll let you sleep for now. But you have to promise you'll teach me everything over sandwiches, 'kay?'

Then she sighed a little too dramatically. 'But I really envy you, Yuri-chan. Your grades are so good everyone looks up to you. Even the teachers let you sleep in class…'

I directed my gaze outside the window and stared at the rising sun again. It was shining warmly into the classroom. There wasn't a speck of cloud in the sky.

A light, warm wind blew by and I unconsciously took a deep breath of the clean air.

Then I stared at the rest of the class silently taking notes.

It was peaceful. Too peaceful…

The rhythmic tapping stopped, and the teacher turned and gestured at the blackboard now filled with white text. 'So this is essentially all you need to learn about the Sandwich Theorem. On a side note, it is also called the squeeze theorem or the pinching theorem…'

'Pinch,' the cheerful girl said behind me as she pinched my back softly.

I ignored both of them and looked out the window again as I rested my head on my hand and sank into my own thoughts. Then I slowly drifted into semi-consciousness as I stared in the general direction of the setting sun but at nothing in particular.

I didn't know how much time had passed while I held that posture.

_Nakamura…_

An unfamiliar voice drew my attention and pulled me back to the classroom again. A middle-aged woman was peering at me over her spectacles in front of the blackboard. The Math Teacher was nowhere to be seen.

Apparently, Math class had passed without my knowing. My mind was still too lost to be bothered by that fact though.

'What are you doing, Nakamura?' She said in a deep, authoritative voice. 'Put away your Math textbook. This is English class.'

I unzipped my book bag and stuck my Math textbook inside while locating and pulling out my English textbook absentmindedly.

'Good. Now read from the top of page thirteen.'

I flipped open the thick textbook, still absentmindedly, slowly stood up and stared at the labyrinth of western symbols.

But my mind was still elsewhere.

I paused for a moment before finally opening my mouth.

'This is truly like paradise…'

'Top of page thirteen, Nakamura!'

I scanned the class. Most of them were still eagerly waiting for my answer. 'To be able to lead such a carefree life must be wonderful.'

'Yuri…?' Hitomi whispered behind me.

'I used to be very jealous of this obvious happiness. I remember that's exactly how I felt the first time I came here. But I'm not anymore. Because I finally understand, that such a life is just an illusion.

'No one can truly live without a care in the world. In some stage in life, we're bound to come face to face with different hardships. But it's our struggles that define us, and the way we deal with the hardships is what makes us human.'

I clenched my fists as I thought back to all the mistakes I'd made. 'Of course, on the way, there will always be obstacles.' I delivered a bitter chuckle. 'I myself made a lot of mistakes I'm not sure I can still make amends for, but giving up and hiding in a classroom filled with fake happiness was never an option for me!'

My voice became louder now as I slammed my fists on the table. 'That's why I will fight. I will continue fighting!'

'Yuri…' Hitomi whispered again.

I started breathing heavily as I scanned the classroom once more. I could see some shocked glances amidst amused ones.

English teacher suddenly gave a creepy, low-pitched laugh. 'Is that right…'

I quickly directed my gaze at her. The morning sunlight shining into the room glinted off her glasses, concealing whatever emotions she had hidden in her eyes.

Then she slowly reached behind her back. To my utter astonishment, she suddenly pulled out a pistol and aimed it at me…

/ / / / / / / / / /

_Bang! _

A sharp gunshot pulled me out of the surreal world and back into the world of pouring rain and gathering darkness.

The Shadow with its hand penetrating deep into my body now had a hole in its head. As it fluttered slightly in the dark and slowly disintegrated, the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach disappeared and I fell to my knees, soaking them in a small puddle on the unpaved ground.

The axe I'd been clutching fell to the ground as I held my stomach and coughed violently.

'That should be the last of them…' a voice said.

'Indeed,' another voice confirmed.

My coughing had barely ceased when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Lit torches were scattered on the ground and the dim light they provided allowed my slowly dilating pupils to make out the figure before me. My eyes widened immediately.

A girl with short crimson hair red-pink eyes was smiling warmly at me. She was wearing the SSS uniform and her sleeves were rolled up to her elbow. She was holding a pistol in one hand while her other hand was placed on my shoulder. It was the leader of the Battlefront's diversion unit, Masami Iwasawa.

The corner of her mouth tipped up as she said, 'Never thought I'd ever have to take the frontline in the battlefield with you, Yuri.'

I was still too shocked to say anything.

'Why didn't you carry a gun with you?' she asked.

'I… forgot…' I managed. 'But how…'

Iwasawa had a smirk on her face. 'Next time, if you want to make me remember sooner, at least tell your team to try and play my songs right.'

I quickly glanced around. 'Where are…'

'The others are safe,' she assured me. 'Hinata succeeded in breaking everyone out of the encirclement, though the fact that Noda hopped right back didn't help…' She stole a sideways glance. 'Though if it hadn't been for him, you'd probably really have turned into a full-fledged NPC…'

I followed her gaze and spotted the still figure of Noda lying beside me.

I smiled appreciatively before spotting the other girl with brown hair tied into a ponytail tending him.

'Hisako!' I nearly squealed. 'You're here too.'

She looked toward me and raised her right hand nonchalantly. 'Hi.'

Iwasawa smiled. 'It's not just us. Sekine and Irie are both here.'

I widened my eyes further as she explained, 'They're looking after the remaining four members on the team.' She helped me to my feet and said to Hisako, 'You'll carry Noda for us, okay?'

'No problem,' Hisako said.

'Well, let's get going.' Iwasawa said as she picked up a torch and straightened her uniform. 'After all, the program still owes me something.'


	24. Chapter 23:If it takes time leave a note

**Triple update: Part 3/3**

* * *

><p>Chapter 23 – If it takes time, leave a note<p>

I slid the door to the health room open and carefully helped the weak Naoi inside. The room hadn't changed since I left. I could still see the bed lying unmade in one corner of the room. Yep, that was the one I had been sleeping on for three days straight.

Carefully, I placed him on that same bed, took off his cap and gently pulled the crisp bed sheets over him.

His eyes were shut tight, his hands balled into fists and trembling with the rest of his body. I had never seen him in such a bad shape before, and to think it had something to do with helping me regain my memories…

'Oto-Otonashi…' his teeth were clattering despite the heat. He opened his eyes with effort. He was trying to tell me something.

'Shh… Don't try to talk yet. You get some rest first, okay?'

I unfolded a chair and placed it beside the bed. I wondered if Hatsune had told everyone about Naoi yet. Now I just had to wait until everybody got here.

He reached out his hand to take mine. 'No. You… don't understand. This… is important.'

'You're in a really bad shape right now. Just don't try to talk.'

'Something like this… has never happened before…' he continued. 'My hypnotism was perfect…'

'I'm sure it still is. Please, just get some rest.'

He tightened his grip on my hand as he looked at me. His gaze was intent but weak. 'This… isn't about me. This is… about you.'

I didn't stop him this time. 'Someone… is deliberately trying to prevent you… from regaining your memories…'

It sent a slight shudder down my spine, but I managed to compose myself. Seriously, I didn't know if this guy could take it if he said one more word.

'Like I said, you get some rest first, okay? We'll worry about that later.'

Naoi's face showed appreciation as he lay his head back down and shut his eyes. His breathing gradually became even and his clenched fists relaxed. I assumed he was asleep.

I allowed myself to think now.

_Someone is deliberately preventing me from regaining my memories… What does it mean?_

But then again, I knew the visit to my sister's grave couldn't be the last of my memories. I still didn't know how I'd died.

Could that someone be responsible for my death?

That train of thought led me to recall something, causing me to shudder involuntarily. It couldn't be…

_Better savor what little time you have with your precious Angel._ Those had been Noda's actual words when I last saw him. I hadn't taken him seriously. Could he have meant what he had said at that time?

I shook my head and tried to take that image out of my head. Noda could be an ass sometimes, but he would never do anything to hurt his friends. Plus, I had been being selfish at the time. I would have made anyone mad…

But I couldn't think of any other person who would want to keep me from remembering what had happened just before I died.

The door to the health room burst open and the first thing I heard was Takamatsu's voice. 'Is Naoi okay?'

I turned toward the entrance and found Takamatsu stripping again. Seriously, had this guy made it a habit to take off his clothes every time he stepped out of the Battlefront's hideout?

'He's doing fine at the moment,' I said as I stared back at Naoi's sleeping figure. 'He's just been pushing himself too hard.' _For me,_ I reminded myself.

Members of the Afterlife Battlefront walked in one by one. Everyone was here. No, wait… one was missing.

'Where's Kanade?' I asked.

'Angel went back to the Girls' Dorm to check on something,' Takamatsu said. 'We were supposed to meet back at the hideout and commence Operation: Guild Parachute Drop later today, but Naoi looks like he's in no shape to be on a mission right now. Looks like we're down by two members today.'

'Two?' I asked.

'Well, someone has to look after him while we're on the mission, right?'

'Then I'll do it,' I volunteered. 'It _was_ sort of my fault he became this sick.'

Takamatsu closed his eyes. 'No. You're a valuable asset in the coming battle. You're needed on the team.'

'Then I'll do it!' Hatsune said as she walked up to me. 'I don't know how to fight, so I'd probably only be a burden to all of you on the mission, but I can stay here and take care of Naoi-san. Plus, I want to thank him for helping my brother.'

'No,' Takamatsu said again.

'Why not?'

'You just said it yourself, Hatsune. You don't know how to fight. What if our enemy decides to go after you two? You won't stand a chance. We need someone who is strong enough to protect both himself and Naoi.' Takamatsu hesitated before saying, 'Matsuhita, do you mind taking care of him for us?'

'Huh? Why me?' Matsushita protested.

Takamatsu turned toward Shiina, who was busily balancing a broom on the tip of her middle finger. 'What do you think, Shiina?'

'Shh. Don't disturb my concentration,' Shiina said impatiently.

'Okay,' Takamatsu said as he straightened his glasses. 'Since Shiina's with me on this one, there shouldn't be any problem, right?'

Seeing Takamatsu like that made me smile. He might not be on very good terms with Naoi and often get into arguments with him, but deep in his heart, he regarded him as a very dear friend.

'What?' Matsushita protested. 'But that means I'll be missing all the fun. I want to be on the team and pound the bad guys too!'

Fujimaki patted Matsushita's shoulders twice. 'Live with it.'

'Okay, that settles it!' Takamatsu announced. 'We'd better head back to the hideout and wait for Angel. We're all counting on you, Matsushita the Fifth!' he added.

Matsushita's shoulders slumped forward and he didn't reply.

/ / / / / / / / / /

At some point on our way back, I told the group I remembered more or less everything. Technically, I didn't lie.

Then Takamatsu started throwing incomprehensible explanations at me while showing off his muscles. All I could remember was that the greenish-haired girl called Fuko was an ikiryō or something. Wait a minute… an ikiryō? If I wasn't mistaken, that was like an apparition, wasn't it?

I didn't know I was adept at extracting useful information from an extended monologue until today. After Takamatsu had babbled on for ten minutes straight, I managed to block everything out and kept this in mind:

That Fuko girl was the link between this world and the real world… somehow.

To be honest, I wasn't really paying too much attention. Naoi and Noda's words kept reverberating in my head. I had no idea who would want to keep me from remembering…

And then before I knew it, we were back at the Battlefront's hideout.

'There is no God, Buddha or Angel,' Takamatsu shouted before winking at me and opening the door…

I didn't know I was about to get hit the second time.

By the time I felt the bone-shattering force, it was too late. I was once again sent flying out the shattered window. _Not again…_

/ / / / / / / / / /

I awoke slowly this time to find everyone staring at me…

'Wah!' I shouted as I bounced off the yellow sofa and reflexively felt my face. I hoped they didn't draw on it… 'What the hell are you guys doing?'

Ōyama chuckled nervously and touched the back of his head. 'You're so fun to watch when you're asleep.'

That crept me out a little. I would feel a little better if Kanade was the one watching me though…

I cleared my throat and asked, 'Okay… what happened _this_ time?' I glared at Takamatsu. He was wearing his uniform again. This guy was starting to piss me off… 'Well?'

Takamatsu stared at me with an innocent face and shrugged. 'Well… you know… I forgot there wasn't anybody in here to disable the trap for us…'

_You've gotta be kidding me…_

'It was no biggie, really…' Takamatsu said.

I grunted. _How can you be so __blasé__ about this…_

There was something different about this room. I didn't realize what was until I stared out the window. It was noticeably darker.

'How long… have I been… asleep?'

'Nearly four hours,' Takamatsu said.

_What?_ 'And Kanade isn't here yet?'

Takamatsu straightened his glasses. 'No. Not yet.'

'But you said she just went to the Girls' Dorm!'

'Well, statistically speaking, girls generally spend more time than boys on everything.'

_And what statistic is that? _'No. Something isn't right. It shouldn't take her that long to travel back and forth.'

Fujimaki hung his sword over his shoulder, went around the wooden table and opened one of the drawers. He said as he pulled some pistols out, 'She'll be fine. She's Angel after all.'

I straightened my uniform and walked toward the door. 'I'm gonna go look for her.'

Something Fujimaki said made me stop and look back.

'Huh? What's this?'

Fujimaki pulled out something that looked like a white note card.

'This wasn't here before.'

Everybody started gathering around Fujimaki in curiosity. Takamatsu frowned. Hatsune and Fuko gasped. Ōyama chuckled. Shiina was balancing three brooms.

'What is the meaning of this…' Takamatsu said, still frowning.

Eventually and driven by curiosity, I walked toward the bewildered group and took a glance at the small note card.

Written across it in pen was the following:

_I was there._

_Kanade Tachibana_


	25. Chapter 24: A past revealed Part 2

**Hi, guys. First of all, I'm terribly sorry for posting this four months late - as some of you may recall, I've been busy preparing for my college entrance exams (which are still in progress and won't end until late April). And I guess the second reason is that this chapter was really, really hard for me to write. You'll know why after reading it and the A/N section that follows.**

**I'm not sure if I'll upload again in a few days or if I'll wait until I've finished all my exams, but enjoy this for now!**

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><p>Chapter 24 - A past revealed (Part 2)<p>

**Yuzuru Otonashi**

I took one long, lasting look at Hatsune's grave. The name engraved on the stone brought back a lot of memories. While most of them were bitter, I realized now that they were precious memories that Hatsune shared with me.

Rain continued to pour, and suddenly, I was almost afraid to leave. I was afraid that once I left, she wouldn't be there to guide me again. I shook my head now drenched in the rain and chuckled once humorlessly. With me being the big brother, you would have thought it was the other way around.

I readjusted the flowers I'd brought for her, and then realized they had been ruined by the rain and the mud. I decided to buy some new flowers to replace them, realizing that I might well be giving myself an excuse to stay with her longer.

So I visited a nearby flower shop, bought some fresh flowers, had them wrapped with thick transparent plastic and headed for the cemetery again. What I saw when I reached the entrance stopped me abruptly in my tracks.

A white-haired girl with her back facing me was kneeling in front of my sister's grave in my place. She wasn't carrying an umbrella, but seemed unbothered by the heavy rain that was soaking her.

When I awoke from my trance, I slowly approached the kneeling figure and asked, confusion apparent in my voice, 'Kanade, is that you?'

Seeming stunned by my voice, the girl turned her head slowly and met my gaze.

'Oh, Kanade,' I said as I dropped to my knees next to her. 'But what are you doing all the way out here? It's raining. You're gonna catch a cold like this, you know?' I quickly unzipped my bag and picked out the spare jacket I'd packed for myself and wrapped it around her.

She stared blankly at me, her face betraying almost no emotion, but her usual calm demeanor couldn't mask everything.

It was the sadness in her eyes.

No... it was more than that. I knew that look more than anyone else. I had been there before. I had experienced the same painful feeling not too long ago. It was... loneliness.

'Hey, what's wrong?' I asked, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. She didn't reply and kept staring blankly at me.

The wind had picked up once again, and the slanting rain was starting to hurt, but the girl in front of me seemed oblivious to the changing weather.

I wasn't sure how to react, but I knew getting hit by the rain wasn't going to help. 'Come on, let's get you out of the rain first,' I said softly and helped her to her feet. I placed the new flowers I'd just bought in front of the gravestone, and I was careful not to ruin them again.

I wanted to get her out of the rain as soon as possible, but I could see she wasn't in the mood for any running, and I didn't want to rush her. I also didn't know if I should press her or give her time. While I was struggling with myself, Kanade finally opened her mouth. It was a question that took me completely by surprise.

'Do you hate me, Yuzuru?' She asked in her usual calm voice, but it couldn't conceal her pain.

'Why would you even ask that?' I asked in genuine bewilderment.

'That day, when Hatsune passed away, I was there in the hospital,' she said as she slightly lowered her head. 'Do you remember the conversation you had with Yuri?'

Well, thanks to Yuri, that memory was now stuck in my mind forever. 'Sure,' I said, feeling slightly relieved. Now that I knew what was on her mind, it would be easier for me to talk her out of her worries.

'Do you hate me because of it?'

'Well, sure I was a bit surprised when Yuri told me the news,' I admitted and then smiled at Kanade. 'I mean, who'd have thought Yuri would make such a terrible mistake?'

She widened her eyes as she looked at me.

I stared into the distance and thought back to that particular day. 'Now that I think about it, that conversation kinda reminded me of the first time I ended up in the Afterworld.' I laughed once. 'She's a good leader, but she jumps to conclusions way too early.' I smirked and elbowed her jokingly. 'But then again, you always did have a way of attracting suspicions.'

'Yuzuru...' For the first time, instead of strain and pain, she started to sound hopeful and relieved.

I laughed again. 'Do you remember the conversation we had in the Afterworld? The one we had just after I'd regained all my memories because I heard the rhythm of my own heartbeat?'

'Mm-hmm.' She nodded.

'You told me our true purpose there was never to resist God. Instead, the Afterworld was a place to save young souls. You were the first one among all of us to realize this truth, and eventually, you were the one who saved us all.' I smiled once and shrugged. 'I guess, what I mean to say is, you can be clumsy sometimes, sure, but I've never doubted that you'll do the right thing.' I looked in her eyes and said in my most determined and convincing voice. 'That's why I have and will always trust you.'

'I'm sorry...' she said.

'What for?' I asked again in bewilderment.

She looked down again. 'I wanted to tell everyone the truth, but I was afraid they wouldn't believe me. Instead, I grew distant from everyone. I even avoided you. I know how hurt you must have been after Hatsune's passed on. I should've been there, but I was too scared.'

I couldn't answer that. I was beginning to get choked up.

'But you've taught me something,' she went on and looked back at me. 'When you were talking to your sister just now, I was here. You've taught me that no matter what hardships I may face, avoiding them is never the solution.'

_Otonashi..._

Takamatsu's voice abruptly brought me back to the Afterworld SSS hideout. I was holding the note card Kanade had left behind, and I finally knew what Kanade wanted to tell me.

'That's why you didn't want Naoi to show me this memory, isn't it?' I whispered to myself.

'You've been staring at the card for ten minutes,' Takamatsu said and straightened his glasses. 'Do you know what Angel means by "I was there"?'

I slowly flipped the note card. On the other side of it, written in neat handwriting was another message.

It was a simple _Arigatou_.

'Stupid!' I couldn't help muttering under my breath.

'Do you know what happened to Kanade-chan, big brother?' Hatsune asked.

I exhaled deeply. 'Yes, and we need to hurry. She could be in danger.'

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><p><strong>I really hope I haven't lost my touch.<strong>

**I'm not going to kid, but this chapter has been really, really hard for me to write. I had in my mind several scenarios of Yuzuru meeting Kanade in the graveyard, and I struggled just to choose the best one. The scenes that came next were delicate and were even harder to write.**

**All in all, it feels good to be back and please let me know what you guys think about the chapter so pleeeease review :)**


	26. Chapter 25: Dual operation II part 1

**Yay! Another update! :)**

**So, basically, as you might have guessed from the plot, both Yuri's team and Otonashi's team will be entering the Guild. What dangers and enemies will the real-world team and the Afterworld team encounter in the Guild? How will they respond differently? Is anyone going to die or get obliterated? Read on to find out X)**

**Anyway, I'm going to divide the scene into three parts. This is part 1 for now. Hopefully I can put part 2 up by tomorrow. Enjoy :)**

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><p>Chapter 25 - Dual operation II Part 1<p>

**Yuri's Team (6:30 p.m.) - The Gym**

We decided to take a break in the Gym. Noda was still unconscious, I took a seat on the floor with Hinata, Yui, Fuko and Takeyama while the GirlDeMo members reloaded their pistols.

The ambush had been a slight distraction, but thanks to GirlDeMo's rescue, all of us had managed to escape unscathed - well, that is, if you didn't take into account the fact that I'd almost turned into an NPC and that Noda had almost sacrificed himself protecting me.

The Gym, like possibly everywhere else, was completely deserted. Plus, all the lights were killed and we had no way to turn them back on. It was like a massive blackout or something. Could a simple program be responsible for all of this?

_Well, we'll soon find out._ I thought to myself.

'Takeyama,' I said as I stood up and straightened my wet uniform. 'What's the status?'

'I have double-checked our coordinates,' Takeyama replied, looking at a small monitor that was possibly the strongest light source in the darkness. 'We're right on top of him. And please call me Christ.'

_Perfect._ I thought.

'If everything's the way things were in the Afterworld,' I said as I turned to look at the team. 'This exact spot should be the entrance to the Guild.'

'I still can't believe it actually exists in the real world,' Hinata said lazily beside me, still resting on the floor. 'Hey, Yurippe. What do you think is down there?'

'I don't know,' I replied. 'But we're dealing with a very thorough rogue program here, so I'm guessing it's not exactly going to be a pleasant journey.'

'Oh man...' Hinata muttered and scratched his head. 'I hope we're not going to have to deal with another ambush.'

'Don't worry,' Iwasawa said as she aimed her pistol at the far side of the Gym and fired once. 'They're not going to catch us off guard this time.'

'Geez,' Hinata said as he covered his ears. 'Be careful with that. We're not dead yet, you know?'

Iwasawa turned and threw a smirk at Hinata.

'Oh, Noda-san's awake!' Fuko said.

Noda groaned and held his head as he slowly came to. Then he said drowsily, 'Yurippe...'

'Noda!' I said as I crouched in front of him. 'Are you okay?'

'Where are... the shadows?' Noda asked, still drowsy.

'They're gone,' I said calmly. 'Iwasawa and Hisako came and took care of them.'

'Don't forget to thank us,' Hisako said playfully.

'Oh... thank God you're okay...' Noda said before clearing his throat. 'I mean, I could have taken all of them down on my own. I didn't need any help.'

'Gee, thanks...' Hisako said.

I suppressed an internal chuckle, hid my appreciation, put up a stern face and folded my arms. 'What were you thinking? I told you to leave without me! You could have gotten yourself killed.'

Noda scoffed as he pulled himself to his feet. 'Those weaklings were no match for me.'

I sighed. 'You can be really reckless sometimes, you know that?'

'Surprise, surprise.' Hinata smirked.

I took center stage and said, 'Anyway, let's recap. According to Takeyama, the rogue program is currently residing at the bottom floor of the Guild. He knows Guard Skills, some of which are unknown even to Kanade. This mission is going to be very dangerous, but it is also vital that we put a stop to whatever he's planning. Once we go in, there is no going back. The most important thing is to remain vigilant at all times.'

'This is sounding more and more like a suicide mission...' Hinata muttered.

'Iwasawa,' I said. 'This is the first time for you and your team to enter the Guild, right?'

'Right,' Iwasawa replied briefly.

'Then here's the plan,' I continued. 'I will lead the way. You and Noda will stay behind me. Hinata, Yui, Fuko and Takeyama will follow. The rest of GirlDeMo will stay at the back.'

'In that case, use this,' Hisako said as she threw me her something.

I caught it and realized it was her pistol. 'But-'

'I'm more into samurai moves now.' She smiled as she pulled a katana from behind her that I hadn't noticed.

'Since when did you become another Fujimaki?' Hinata asked and made a face.

Hisako smiled but didn't reply.

'Thanks.' I stuck the pistol behind my back and shouted, 'Then let's move out!'

With Noda's help, I pulled out an enormous rack of folding chairs from under the stage, revealing the trapdoor that leads to the first floor of the Guild.

I looked back and said, 'Good luck, everyone. You'll need it.'

**Yuri's Team (6:50 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B1**_

The Guild was just the way I'd remembered it. The dark tunnel stretched indefinitely in either direction, dimly lit on both sides by lanterns hanging from the stony walls. The floor was carefully covered with wooden floorboards.

'Remain vigilant,' I reminded everyone, aiming my pistol in front of me.

'This place hasn't changed a bit,' Hinata mused, mirroring my thoughts.

I'd been here many times before, and I could positively say that I was not a big fan of this operation. First, the air was really muggy here for some reason, and it didn't help that now our clothes were all wet because of the rain. Second, this was the place where we'd needed to fight off our most dangerous enemies - multiple cruel clones of Kanade, masses of menacing black shadows...

'Yuri, look out!' Iwasawa suddenly shouted behind me before she pinned me to the floor, knocking my pistol off my hand.

Less than a second later, a huge black hammer that was pivoted in the ceiling made its way to the wall, crashing into it with a huge, terrifying sound, crumbling it into pieces of huge rocks.

I almost forgot to breathe as I realized how perilously close I'd come to danger, and death.

'That was close...' Iwasawa muttered as she helped both of us to our feet. 'What was that?'

I eyed the hammer that was now swinging gently back and forth and waited for my racing heart to return to a more restful rhythm. 'Anti-Angel traps... The situation is worse than I thought.'

'What? Is this guy seriously trying to kill us?' Hinata raged.

'Anti-Angel traps?' Iwasawa frowned questioningly.

'These instant death traps were originally designed to stop Kanade from overtaking the Guild,' I explained. 'Of course, that was before we realized the whole Angel business was a huge misunderstanding. And it looks like all of them are still activated.'

'This is crazy...' Hinata said as he put a hand on his forehead.

'Exactly,' I said. 'These traps could be insanely painful in the Afterworld, but here, they could literally kill.'

'So what's the plan, Yurippe?' Noda asked.

'We try to outmaneuver the traps,' I said and turned toward him. 'And pray.'

**Otonashi's Team (7:30 p.m.) - The Gym**

It's finally starting to make sense. Who was countering Naoi's powers and why. It was you all along, Kanade.

You suffered the same pain I did. I lost my sister, and you lost the trust of all your friends. We felt abandoned and lonely. We both wanted to run, because we were lost and scared.

Then you overheard my conversation with Hatsune in the cemetery. Just like me, you realized the truth. Just like me, you realized the errors of your ways. That running is never the solution.

That's why you decided to fight this problem on your own, isn't it? You knew I was going to stop you, so you didn't let Naoi reveal all of my memories. Instead, you hid a note card here while all of us were at the medical room with him.

But you've misunderstood it all. Fighting doesn't mean being alone.

I felt a pat on my shoulder. I turned to find Fujimaki looking at me. 'Don't worry, man,' he said. 'We'll find Angel.'

'Yeah,' Oyama chimed in. 'I'm sure Angel will be fine.'

'Guys, a little help?' Takamatsu said, pointing at the huge container of folding chairs, which would be the entrance to the Guild.

After we heaved it out of the way and opened the trapdoor hidden inside, I turned toward my sister and put my hands on her shoulders. 'Hatsune, maybe you should stay with Naoi and Matsushita. This is going to be very dangerous from here on out, and I can still walk you there.'

'Otonashi,' Takamatsu cut in. 'Trust me when I say that there's no place safe here anymore. We're dealing with a very dangerous enemy, one that seems to know everything about us, while we don't know a thing about him. Believe it or not, she's safest with us.'

'And I want to help find Kanade-chan, big brother,' Hatsune said.

I sighed. 'In that case, be sure to stay close to me.'

She nodded cheerfully.

**Otonashi's Team (7:35) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B1**_

'We need a plan,' Takamatsu said as soon as all seven of us had climbed down the metal stairs.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'Well, Angel was supposed to aid us in the operation and disarm all the traps for us. That's why we needed her help in the first place. And since she's decided to go alone, that leaves us to deal with the traps ourselves.'

'Doesn't that mean Angel has already cleared a path for us?' Oyama asked. 'I mean, if she's gone ahead, then she should have neutralized all the traps, right?'

'Let's hope that's the case,' Takamatsu said.

I shuddered at the thought. When you've been hit by a hammer, chased by a huge boulder, trapped in a room where laser could practically cut you in pieces, to name but a few of the ordeals, the trauma isn't something you can merely get over. And the thought of Kanade having to endure all of that was almost horrifying. But then again, it wouldn't be her first time, so she probably knew what she was doing... I hoped.

'Isn't there any way to deactivate them permanently?' I said, trying to feel hopeful.

To my dismay, Takamatsu said, 'Unfortunately, that's not possible.'

'Why not?'

'There's no one at the bottom of the Guild waiting for us except our enemy, which probably means it's up to him to reactivate the traps even if Angel managed to disarm them on her way down.'

'That sucks,' Fujimaki said.

'This is so stupid,' Shiina said, shutting her eyes and looking like she didn't care about anything.

I stole a glance at Hatsune, and was surprised that she was exceedingly calm.

'So what's the plan?' I asked.

Takamatsu turned to look at the rocky tunnel, which stretched as far as the eye could see. 'I've been thinking about that a lot on our way here, and I think I've finally figured out what we lack.' He suddenly paused.

'Well, what is it?' Fujimaki urged.

When Takamatsu turned back to us, he had a smirk on his face. 'Speed.'

Seeing no reply from us, he went on enthusiastically, 'Don't you get it? All it takes is speed. We only need to outrun the traps. Run past the hammer before it hits you, get to the exit before the boulder gets you, et cetera. Speed is the only thing it takes.' He stared at us, making a face which briefly translated to _isn't-it-obvious?_

'Well, I... guess...' I agreed hesitantly. 'Theoretically speaking.'

'You guys don't believe me, do you?' Takamatsu said and frowned.

Well, I sure wanted to, but the idea just sounded too simple, and a bit silly at that.

'You believe me, don't you, Shiina?' Takamatsu asked, his voice sounded a bit desperate, surprisingly.

Shiina didn't even open her eyes. It was like she couldn't hear what Takamatsu had just asked.

'Don't worry,' he said as he pushed up the bridge of his glasses. 'I'll show you.' Then, without turning his back on us, he started walking backwards while taking off his clothes. 'Just follow my lead. You'll see this is a brilliant idea.'

'Uh... Takamatsu?' I said cautiously as he slowly yet unknowingly approached the danger zone.

'What?' Takamatsu asked, completely oblivious as he continued to walk backwards.

'Takamatsu, no!'

_Whoosh!_ The whole motion was clear and terrifying. The huge black hammer hidden in the ceiling was instantly activated when Takamatsu walked directly below it. Takamatsu also realized it, but he was a moment too late. HIs eyes widened for a terrifying second, before the hammer sent him flying into the opposite wall and buried him in the crumbled pieces of rocks.

'Takamatsu!' We cried in unison, and watched helplessly as the giant hammer gently swung back and forth.

'Moron...' Fujimaki muttered as he put his hand on his forehead.

'So the traps really are still active...' I said.

'So what's the plan _now_?' Fujimaki asked impatiently.

'We follow his plan,' Shiina said as she slowly opened her eyes and readied her kodachi. 'He was right. Speed is what we need.' _Now there's a shocker. I don't think I've ever heard Shiina say so many words at once..._

'Well, if even you say so, Shiina...' I said.

Beside me, Oyama started to shake visibly. 'Uh...' he stuttered. 'A-a-are you sure, Shiina? I don't want to fall and get spiked again...'

'Come on,' Fujimaki said as he flung his arm around Oyama's neck. 'Don't tell me you're having cold feet. Look, even Hatsune's calmer than you.'

I took another glance at my sister. She really looked surprisingly calm.

'Hmm?' she asked when she noticed me staring at her.

I frowned in bewilderment. 'Aren't you feeling even a bit nervous?'

'Well, a little,' she admitted.

I shook my head. 'Just remember to stay close to me, all right?'

She nodded.

Shiina sighed. 'If you're done with the chitchat, let's move out.'

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><p><strong>Sorry if you think the end of this part is a little abrupt. I didn't want to put too much in a chapter, and you can see this is just the beginning of a long journey down. Anyway, please review, and I look forward to seeing how you feel about the chapter or the idea in general :D<strong>


	27. Chapter 26: Dual operation II Part 2

**Here's part 2 :)**

**(I'm sorry I posted this one day late, but as you can see, this is a really long chapter...) Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 26 - Dual operation II (Part 2)<p>

**Yuri's Team (7:00 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B3**_

'The boulder trap...' I said as I signaled everyone to stop. The rhythmic clicking of everyone's footsteps on the floorboards instantly stopped. It suddenly became so quietly you could almost hear each other's heartbeat.

'God, I hate this one...' Hinata muttered under his breath from behind me.

'So what's this one about?' Iwasawa asked as she walked up to me.

'Well, it's not exactly a boulder,' I explained. 'It's just a huge metal ball that threatens to flatten us all, no big deal...' I sounded just a little bit desperate.

'Oh...'

'Is there any way out of this safely?' Hisako asked.

'Not even with your samurai moves, no...' I replied.

'Can't we just activate it and hop right back?' Hinata suggested.

'These traps aren't exactly designed for fun, you know,' Noda said. 'Not even Shiina is fast enough for that.'

'He's right,' I said. 'It's called an instant death trap for a reason.'

'So you're saying we have no choice?' Hinata asked. 'That risking our lives outrunning that thing is the only way?'

I bit my lips. 'Hmm...'

The team seemed to be waiting for me to suggest something, but it was no use. Nothing was coming to my mind.

Then I heard Hinata sigh as he walked a few steps forward. He started taking off his shirt as he said, 'Oh well, one for the team, I guess.'

'What are you doing?' I demanded.

'Well, it's better for only one of us to be sacrificed than the whole team, right?' He said calmly as he cracked his knuckles and craned his neck. 'Plus, I have a plan, so don't worry.'

'But-' I said, but he cut me off before I could finish.

'Worst case scenario, I'll be sure to say hi to everyone in the Afterlife for you. Hold this for me, will you?' He said as he handed me his shirt. 'Well, I'd best be - '

'Just go already,' Yui, who had been silent during the whole operation, suddenly shouted and flashed her teeth as she kicked Hinata square in his butt.

'Whoa!' I watched in horror as Hinata stumbled forward. The ceiling above us made a crumbling noise as the huge metal ball fell. We needed to shield our eyes from the dust, and the impact the ball made caused us to stumble backwards. Then it started rolling. Toward Hinata.

'Run!' I yelled as everyone else started shouting his name.

'Impressive job,' Iwasawa said, her eyes widening at the insane trap.

Yui suddenly turned all emotional as she said affectionately, 'I'll come with you, senpai.'

We couldn't see anything with the huge ball blocking our vision. We watched helplessly as it continued to make its way around the corner and finally disappeared.

'Hinata!' I shouted, running off in his direction without waiting for the dust to clear, avoiding the floorboards that had been completely wrecked by the metal ball. 'Hinata!'

I had to heave a deep sigh of relief as Hinata started coughing. As the dust slowly settled, I found him lying on the floor, straining to keep himself tightly pressed against the wall.

'You okay?' Iwasawa asked as she and the rest of the team approached us.

Hinata flashed a thumbs-up, his hair now covered in dirt. 'It worked.'

Yui threw herself at Hinata, while yelling happily, 'Senpai, you're alive!'

Hinata coughed again before demanding, 'What the hell were you thinking? You could've killed me!' Judging from his energetic voice, I'd say he was okay.

Yui didn't seem to hear as she buried her head in his chest and squealed happily.

I just didn't get this girl...

'Anyway,' I said. 'All's well that ends well. We've still got a long way to go. Let's head out!'

**Yuri's Team (7:15 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**6**_

'So, if I'm not mistaken, the next one should be the laser room, right?' Hinata asked as we descended the stone stairs. I was still in the lead, and the unique layout of the high-tech laser room was finally revealing itself.

'Right,' I said briefly.

'Any idea how we're going to pass that?'

'Oh, don't worry,' I said without looking back at him. 'If you remember the sequence, this one's actually really easy.'

'Let's hope so...' Hinata muttered.

'Ready?' I asked as we reached the entrance. 'Then let's go in.'

As expected, the double-door slid shut after all of us had entered the small, cramped room, lit only by red neon lights hidden in the floor.

'Interesting,' Iwasawa mused.

'Everyone, lie down,' I said as I pressed myself against the cold, hard floor. Everyone followed without question.

'And whatever happens, do NOT move,' I said, adopting a commanding tone.

'This is getting exciting,' Iwasawa said. Judging from her tone, I'd guess she was genuinely amused.

'You know, I'm starting to think we should've had you join the frontline with us, Iwasawa.'

'Thanks, but I'll pass,' Iwasawa said as she lifted her head a little and smirked. 'As fun as this may seem, I can't turn my back on music.'

Hisako laughed once. 'That's our girl.'

Just then, the white lights flickered on, and I knew it was time. 'Remember, _don't_ _move_,' I reminded everyone.

The room then gave a whirring sound that moved from one end to another. Somehow, I still broke into a sweat as I imagined what would have become of us had we walked into the room unguarded.

To my surprise, Hinata suddenly pulled out a smoke bomb from his pocket, threw it in front of us, and revealed the sharp red laser beam.

I stared at him questioningly, but he shook his head. 'Don't ask.'

I smiled and said, 'Great work, Hinata.'

I waited as a second laser beam appeared under the first one, and then said for a thousandth time, 'Don't move. Lie flat.' I closed my eyes until the whirring sound passed over my head.

I'd noticed something during the time we dragged Otonashi with us to the Guild. This trap was high-tech but really poorly designed. The bottom lasers were more than a feet from the ground, which meant that all we had to do was lie flat, and we could easily dodge the laser beams. Nothing fancy, but it was probably the safest way.

'Is this over yet?' Noda suddenly asked, his face pressed to the ground. 'I feel stupid.'

'Oh, right,' Hinata said and chuckled. 'I almost forgot. You never did get past the hammer trap, did you?'

Noda scoffed. 'Shut up.'

'Final Round,' I said as two X-shaped laser beams formed in the _middle_ (stupid, right?) of the first two.

I waited until the whirring sound had ceased before I cautiously pulled myself back up and straightened my clothes. 'See? No problem at all.' I smiled and flashed a thumbs-up at my teammates.

I stood in front of the exit, waiting for it to open automatically as the rest of the team got back up. To my dismay, however, it stayed shut.

'That's strange...' I muttered.

'What's wrong?' Hinata said as he walked up to me.

I slammed my fist on the door and grunted. 'This stupid door won't open.'

Just then, the white lights were suddenly killed, and the whole room was lit by red neon lights again.

Fully alert now, I asked slowly, 'What's happening?'

Noda started attacking the door with his axe, causing sparks to fly everywhere. 'Stupid... door...'

'Are we trapped forever?' Yui asked, her voice slightly trembling.

What I heard next caused me to freeze. I slowly turned my head, my eyes widening with horror. Then I uttered, 'Impossible...'

The whirring sound was back.

Four more lasers appeared in the walls, creating two more horizontal laser beams above and below the confined X.

'It's not coming back for Round 4, is it?' Hinata asked.

_Round 4?_

'What should we do now, Yurippe? Lie down? Jump?' Noda asked as he readied his axe.

Sadly, neither was possible. The six laser beams were blocking every possible way of escape.

Yui started to cry. 'I don't want to dieeeeeee!'

'Oh geez,' Iwasawa said as she aimed her pistol at the walls and started firing. Normally, I wouldn't dare to do this because this room was designed to rebound bullets, but Iwasawa's precise aim let her lodge the bullets in the lasers, and, one by one, the beams disappeared.

'Done,' Iwasawa said coolly as she put her pistol back behind her back.

'Wow,' I uttered, totally amazed.

'Iwasawa,' Hinata said. 'I have more respect for you now than ever before.'

The white lights went back on and the exit doors finally slid open. At the moment, I probably felt the way a sailor lost at sea felt when he finally found land. I'd never been happier to get out of that room.

**Yuri's Team (7:35 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**8**_

I needed to be careful not to slip up again. No matter if the traps were activated by the rogue program or not, I'd underestimated them. And it had almost cost the lives of myself and my teammates. So whatever I was planning, I knew I needed to think it through... at least three times.

_Well, so much for that..._ I thought as we reached the end of the tunnel. _I haven't got a clue how to get past this one..._

_That's right. We've officially made it to the ceiling trap._

After we descended some 50 feet using the metal stairs before us, the ceiling would pick up our movement and be right on top of us in less than 5 seconds. This trap was impossible to outrun, and now all I could think of was how TK had sacrificed himself here once.

'Got any ideas, Yuri?' Iwasawa asked.

'Let me test something,' I said halfheartedly as I picked up some loose rocks and threw them 50 feet down.

'Uh, Yuri,' Hinata said hesitantly. 'You know filling the place with rocks isn't going to help, right?'

'Don't be stupid,' I said. 'Of course I know that. I'm just testing to see what kind of movement the ceiling will pick up.'

'I'm guessing it's a temperature sensor,' Hisako said. 'Not a motion sensor.'

'Yeah, that's what I thought,' I agreed. 'This could be troublesome.'

'What's a temperature sensor?' Yui asked curiously.

'Well, basically in this case, it means that it won't pick up anything other than human movement,' I explained.

Hinata threw his hands in the air. 'So we're trapped once again. Surprise, surprise.'

Noda scoffed from beside me and jumped off without warning.

'Noda!' I cried. 'What are you doing!'

'He's out of his mind...' Hinata muttered.

'Come back! You're going to get yourself killed!' I shouted.

'Woo-hoo!' Noda's voice carried all the way back as he continued to fall. Then, just about a few feet from the ground, he thrust his axe into the stony wall and stopped himself before he crashed into the floor.

'Crazy guy...' Hinata muttered again.

'One for the team,' Noda said before pulling his axe back out and sprinting for the exit. 'Yee-haw!'

Before he could even reach the halfway point, the ceiling was already starting to rumble as small rocks began to fall on the sides.

'Hurry, you idiot!' Hinata cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

The ceiling descended slowly for a moment, and then it flashed before our eyes as it shot downwards.

_Clonk!_

'Noda!' We cried in unison, before seeing him emerge on the other side of the tunnel - without his axe.

He flashed a thumbs-up at us and we cheered.

'Mighty-Noda saves the day!' Noda said as we walked over the ceiling and got to the exit one by one.

'Yeah, yeah...' Hinata said. 'Just be careful not to dislocate your arm patting your own back there.'

'Still, I can't believe you'd actually sacrifice your axe,' I said. 'You're really something, you know that?'

Noda scoffed.

'Come on, let's go, guys. We're about halfway through now.'

**Otonashi's team (7:50 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**3**_

With Takamatsu being buried under the pile of rocks, we were now down to six people. Shiina was leading the way with her kodachi in hand; Hatsune and I followed; Fujimaki, Oyama and Fuko stayed at the back.

Also, judging from the hammer incident, we could positively say that all the traps here were still activated.

'Hey, Shiina,' I said. 'Were you serious when you said what we lack is speed?'

'What _you_ lack, not me,' Shiina said curtly.

'But there's gotta be a safer way - '

'Too late,' Shiina said as the ceiling suddenly rumbled. Something then immediately gave way as a huge metal ball dropped from behind us.

I knew instantly how much trouble we were in. After all, I had nearly been crushed by the same metal ball a long time ago.

'Run for it, everyone!' I shouted and grabbed Hatsune's hand while Hatsune swiftly caught Fuko's hand from behind.

Shiina was the first to dash off. A moment later, she was already waiting at the exit, while reaching her hand out to help us.

'Don't run in the wrong direction!' Shiina shouted as she swung the three of us into the alcove.

The ball was closing distance fast. Fujimaki caught Shiina's hand in the last second and saved himself from being flattened. Oyama, however, didn't seem to have heard Shiina's warning and kept dashing forward without letting us help him.

He should've known better.

My hairs instantly stood on end when I heard Oyama's blood-curdling scream from the end of the tunnel. I looked at Shiina, but she didn't seem to care. Heck, she wasn't even breaking a sweat or out of breath.

'Let's go,' Shiina said as she got on her feet and offered us her hand.

I took a look at the stretched tunnel and prayed silently for Oyama.

**Otonashi's Team (7:57 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**6**_

The doors to the laser room slid shut after the five of us entered one by one.

'Hah, my favorite trap,' Fujimaki said as he put on a confident smile and cracked his knuckles.

'I'm surprised you'd say that,' I said, unamused. 'I don't like any of them.'

But I was the least of my worries. What I was _really_ worried was that Hatsune and Fuko were here with us. They had no idea what was coming and I'd guess they weren't so athletic as well.

But I'd observed something during my last trip to this laser powerhouse. That's why I had a plan, thankfully.

'Lie flat,' I whispered to Fuko and Hatsune. 'Whatever happens, stay down, okay?'

Hatsune nodded and followed without question, but Fuko pointed at me accusingly, 'Why should Fuko trust you?'

The white lights flickered on and Shiina threw a smoke bomb that wouldn't even fit in her outfit, revealing the horizontal laser beam that could come at us at any moment.

Fuko let out a yelp as she quickly pressed herself against the floor. I grunted, mildly annoyed.

What happened next wasn't really that interesting. My plan was working and the three of us lay on the floor the whole time. Fujimaki seemed to bounce excitedly as he leaped over the traps one by one. Shiina was showing off as she did back flips that reached twice as high as anyone else could.

Fujimaki turned and gave me a thumbs-up after he and Shiina leapt over the X, or _Round 3_, as he would've called it.

Fujimaki patted my shoulder as we slowly got up. 'See? No problem at al-'

I gave him another unamused look when the white lights suddenly failed. The exit door also should have opened by now, but we were still locked in somehow.

'Okay, what's happening?' Fujimaki asked.

'We screwed up,' Shiina muttered, frowning.

My eyes widened in disbelief as the laser beams came back at the end of the room. Except this time, two more horizontal laser beams were blocking the way, making it impossible to dodge, possibly except for Shiina with her superhuman agility.

'There's a Round 4?' I demanded.

'We're dead,' Fujimaki muttered.

Shiina shut her eyes tight as she tapped her thumb on her kodachi, deep in thought.

I didn't know when the lasers would start to move, and there was not a moment to lose. I had to act fast.

'Hatsune, do you trust me?' I asked, and swept her up before she could answer.

Fujimaki immediately caught on and said, 'I'll do the same for Fuko.'

'Hey, what are you doing!' Fuko shouted frantically as she started hitting Fujimaki who was trying to pick her up.

'Shiina,' I shouted. 'We're counting on you to take care of them. Fujimaki and I will rejoin as soon as we've pulled ourselves out of the mess.'

'What? No, big brother!' Hatsune tried to struggle as she caught on to what I was trying to do. 'I don't want to leave without you. There's gotta be another way.'

'Here it comes,' I said as the laser beams started to move slowly toward us. I looked toward Fujimaki, who was staring intently at the lasers, and said, 'On the count of three. One... two...'

I was about to hoist my sister over the trap and accept my fate when the incomprehensible happened. Shiina recovered from her train of thought and, in a flash, emerged in front of us with a number of kodachi in hand.

'Now,' she said, possibly to herself. Then, all of a sudden, sparks flew everywhere and the trap before us instantly disappeared.

I couldn't even make sense of what just happened. I stared in a daze at the lasers, each killed by a kodachi, then back at Shiina, who wasn't even gasping for air.

'So it really isn't exaggerating when we say your agility is superhuman, is it?' I said, still in a daze.

'Uh, brother...' Hatsune whispered in my arms. 'Thanks, but you can put me down now.'

'Oh, right,' I said stupidly as I recovered from my trance and carefully helped her down.

'Let's go,' Shiina said coolly as if nothing had happened.

I couldn't help but wonder. _Does anything even bother this girl?_

**Otonashi's Team (8:10 p.m.) - ****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**8**_

As we neared the end of the tunnel that led to the dreaded ceiling trap, I was actually feeling rather at peace. Shiina obviously knew what she was doing, so I had more and more confidence in my fellow ninja.

I had no idea I was about to be dragged into an extreme thrill ride.

'So,' I said as I rubbed my hands together, trying to ignore the fact that I was 50 feet above ground level, and that one wrong step could cause me to fall this staggering height. 'What should we do this time, Shiina?'

'Speed,' she said briefly without even opening her eyes.

My confidence in her waned just a little. 'Are you sure?' I asked hesitantly.

'Jump,' she said.

I didn't even have time to react. By the time I registered what she'd just said, Shiina had already locked her iron grip on my right arm and jumped off.

'Big brother!' Hatsune screamed as she swiftly caught my other arm, but all it did was drag her into the fifty feet fall.

'Hatsune-chan!' Fuko screamed as she grabbed Hatsune before she could fall out of her reach, and caught Fujimaki's shirt in the last second.

Just like that, the five of us were pulled into a ride more thrilling than any in existence.

'What the hell, Shiiiiiinaaaaaaaaaaa!' It took almost all my energy to shout against the rushing wind. I watched terrified as the rocky landscape seemed to accelerate upwards and our fall was rapidly coming to a close.

'I... can't... breathe...' Hatsune said with difficulty just above me, her hand still tightly locked around my arm.

'We're going to diiiiiiiiiieeee!' I could hear Fujimaki's muffled cry from further above.

The strong, rushing wind was choking me and pulling at my hair and clothes. I shut my eyes tight and prepared for the crash.

'AAAARRGGGGHHH... oof!' The wind was knocked out of me when my right arm was suddenly subject to a tearing force that nearly dislocated it. My eyes were still shut tight, so I couldn't make sense of the pain, but I could positively say we didn't crash.

In fact, surprisingly, it almost felt like we were now being pulled in another direction: forward.

'Shiina, you're crazy!' I could hear Fujimaki's muffled, terrified cry from _behind _me.

'Standard training for me,' Shiina shouted against the wind, and her tone was surprisingly and annoyingly calm.

I slowly opened my eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening, and instantly regretted it. What I saw scared me more than the fifty-feet fall.

Against the rushing wind that was hurting my eyes, I could see Shiina still locking her grip on my right arm, but in her other hand, she was holding a long metal rope of some kind. And the other end of the rope was penetrated deep into the high ceiling right above us.

Shiina was trying to transport us by pendulum into the exit alcove. Freaking pendulum!

'Whooooaaaaaa!' Fujimaki and I shouted amidst Hatsune and Fuko's screams.

'Stop screaming!' Shiina said as we swung past the lowest point, which was less than a foot off the ground. 'You're breaking my concentration!'

To top it off, the ceiling made a weird rumbling noise, threatening to crush us any moment.

Shiina cursed in a low voice, 'Shoot... the ceiling's reacting faster than I thought... At this rate, we're going to crash...'

'What? That's an option?' I raged and gasped for air with difficulty as we moved closer and closer to the opposite wall.

'You with the red hair,' Shiina said, obviously referring to me. 'Prepare yourself because I'm going to release your hand.'

'What?' I barely demanded when the iron grip on my arm suddenly disappeared.

I could do nothing but pray.

'OOF!' I shouted as my body hit the stony floor of the alcove. The force caused the four of us to roll forward for a while, but miraculously, we didn't crash.

Behind us, the ninja girl landed safely inside with a spin. A moment later, the ceiling crashed into the floor with a loud _thud_.

'Made it just in time,' Shiina said, again without breaking a sweat.

Hatsune and Fuko were sitting with their backs against the wall. Their hands were placed on their chests as they gasped for air. Fujimaki was kneeling on all fours to support himself. I was sprawled on the floor, ready for a heart attack any time.

'You guys seriously need to work out more,' she said as she stared with a frown at the four of us, who were too busy clinging onto our lives. 'Come on, let's go.'

I stared after Shiina's figure and shook my head. _This is going to be one heck of a journey._

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><p><strong>Well, that's all for now. Which team do you like better? Did they win or did they fail? Please leave a comment~~<strong>

**Anyway, next chapter: Dual Operation II (Part 3) - Impossible Encounter. Look forward to it X)**


	28. Chapter 27: DOIIPt3 Impossible Encounter

**Hiya! I can't believe it's been another 3 months already. The story is nearing its end and I don't want to rush things up just to ruin things. Plus, I've been feverishly trying to improve my writing skills. Whether I've succeeded in that regard, I'll be relying on you, the reader, to tell me.**

**Last but not least, here's a shout-out for NKC's amazing story, Our Beats Incarnate. The story helped me out a lot in improving my writing and style. I just hope I can return the favor :)**

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><p>Chapter 27 - Dual operation II (Part 3): Impossible Encounter<p>

**Yuri's Team (7:55 p.m.) -****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**9**_

Life is full of unexpected twists. Some are welcoming and pleasant; they are what makes life fun. Most of the time, however, twists ruin everything you've planned or worked for. There is yet another kind of twists, ones that spin you in confusion and make you wonder if you've gone mad.

Like now, when our group was standing right on top of a trap that could collapse and send us falling thirty feet at _any_ moment, a white-haired girl was looking straight at us, the blades that protruded from the backs of both of her hands glowing an eerie blue in the darkness.

I stopped short. I almost couldn't believe my eyes.

'Hey...' Hinata said after a moment thick with uncertain silence. 'Isn't that Kanade?'

Strangely, the way Kanade was holding her blades was almost like she was geared up for a fight, and she was staring at us with such intensity it almost seemed like she was glaring. Glaring at us with those... No... it can't be...

I was about to warn everyone in horror but I was a moment too late. The white-haired girl disappeared in a flash, and with a gust of wind blew by us, destroying our only weapons along the way.

When she emerged on the other side, she turned slowly, revealing her ferocious, blood-red eyes.

'Is... is that really Kanade?' Hinata stuttered.

'This is getting way too complicated,' Noda said. 'Whose side is she on anyway?'

'Damn it!' I shouted. We lost all weapons we had, save Noda's axe. But I wasn't about to risk a close-range fight with someone with the lust to kill. Especially not when dying counts!

'Everyone, run!' I shouted and dashed for the exit on the other side, temporarily forgetting the deadly trap awaiting us.

The others followed suit, and the harmonics clone made no attempt to chase after us. She continued to glare at us as the wooden floorboards broke one by one behind us, threatening to drop us.

We made it in time with less than seconds to share, and we collapsed, gasping for breath.

'What was that all about?' Hinata gasped. 'Why is Kanade attacking us?'

'That's not Kanade,' I said after my breathing returned to a more restful rhythm. 'Did you notice her eyes? She's a clone.'

'The more important thing to ask is,' Takeyama cut in. 'Why is she here in the first place?'

I glared at him. 'Takeyama, be honest with us. What exactly happened to Otonashi and Kanade?'

A moment of hesitation flashed across his face, but the way all of us were staring at him told him he didn't have a choice. Slowly, he began his story.

/ / / / / / / / / /

'I met them for the first time that day. It was late in the evening - I had a meeting that day at school and was in a hurry to return home. I didn't have an umbrella, and it was soon pouring down on me, so I ran as quickly as my legs could take me. That's when he came to me.

'All of a sudden, a guy I didn't know tapped my shoulder and handed me an umbrella. He was with a girl, a white-haired girl whose name I soon learned was Kanade Tachibana. He smiled at me in an assuring way, almost like he knew me.

'Anyway, I'm never one to take anything from strangers. So I bowed gratefully and turned away. But then he called out my name. "Hey, Takeyama," he said. "Are you by any chance joining the Inter-School Science and Mathematics competition held in two weeks?"

'That got me curious. The boy seemed to know me. From the way the girl was looking at me, I'd guess she knew me too. I turned and studied their faces carefully, but I still had no idea who they were.

'The boy insisted that I take the umbrella, and we walked together to the train station. We boarded the train, and the boy started asking if I knew certain people, or at least if I'd remembered anything after seeing their faces. I was confused, but I answered honestly nonetheless. He seemed to ponder a while before dropping the issue, and then it came. It was a terrible accident...

'Our train crashed. The girl was fatally injured; the boy did everything he could to help her, but he couldn't get God to spare her life. She died in his arms.

'From that moment on, he just sat there with the girl. He wouldn't eat or drink anything. He wouldn't even let us take care of his own injuries. I tried to convince him, but he wouldn't be told.'

We all listened quietly as Takeyama recalled everything that had happened that day.

Takeyama then fell silent, as if he couldn't bear to continue.

'That's a nice story,' Noda said. 'But it _still_ doesn't explain why Angel's here with us.'

'Unless we all died at some point during our trip here, there's no theoretical way,' I agreed.

'Maybe we did die,' Hinata suggested. 'We just don't know it yet.'

'Now you're just being ridiculous,' Iwasawa said.

'With the floorboards now broken, we can't go back,' I said. 'Not that I'm particularly eager to see that clone again...'

'And there's the other question,' Hinata said. '_Why_ is she even using harmonics? _Can_ she even use harmonics? I mean, I thought Yuri took care of it when she installed the _timewait_ program.'

'I don't know,' I answered honestly.

'So what do we do now Yurippe?' Hinata asked.

'The only thing we can. We move on.'

**Yuri's Team (8:30 p.m.) -****ギルド**_**連絡通路**__**B**__**13**_

We advanced vigilantly, looking out for traps as well as any hostile clones. We had descended four floors and we had yet to see another clone pop up. And now we'd arrived at the famous water trap.

Fujimaki wasn't here, and the rest of us could swim, so I wasn't really worried. But as soon as we plunged into the water, I knew it was too soon for me to let down my guard.

There, down in the _water_, a clone was waiting for us with hand-sonic at the ready.

I temporarily forgot to breathe and nearly choked on the water as I gasped in surprise. The others also stared wide-eyed at the clone before swimming frantically for the exit. If we couldn't beat a clone on land with all of our weapons, there was absolutely no way we could beat her underwater when she seemed to have no trouble holding its breath.

The clone stared after us with an amusing smirk until we'd swum far enough, and then like an arrow, sped after us, completely unhindered by the water. The exit was in sight, but she was closing in on us fast.

Then suddenly, Noda turned, shouted inaudibly underwater, and swam in the reverse direction with his axe firmly in hand. I nearly choked for the second time.

_Noda, no!_ I wanted to shout, but I couldn't. The clone spun effortlessly and created a mini-vortex that forced Noda to hold back while she advanced. She stopped abruptly once within range, and then with a thrust of her blade, she aimed directly at Noda's stomach.

_NODA!_ Noda froze, and strands of red marked where Noda had been brutally stabbed. Or so I thought, until the clone gritted her teeth and turned slowly in dismay.

Right before the clone attacked Noda, a black-haired girl had successfully thrust her own weapon - a kodachi - into the clone's body.

I choked for the umpteenth time when I noticed she wasn't alone. Behind her was a team of familiar-looking people.

Fujimaki, while holding Otonashi's unconscious body, gestured urgently for me to swim ashore. The others had already arrived safely at the exit, and Shiina should be able to fend off a clone on her own, so I nodded and obliged.

I emerged from the water taking an urgent gasp for air. Hinata's hand was already there waiting for me, pulling me up. Shiina, Noda and the others also emerged unharmed a moment later.

I had barely caught my breath when I shouted, 'Shiina!'

The black-haired girl who wasn't even breaking a sweat or gasping for breath turned, her expression neutral. 'What?'

'Shiina!'

'_What?_'

I had trouble figuring out if I should hug her first in joy, thank her for saving us, or if I should just ask my question.

I opted for the middle option. 'Thanks,' I said, still gasping.

She scoffed. 'You're welcome.'

Hinata grunted. 'This isn't making any sense. Why are you here? At the very least, what is Otonashi doing here?'

'Oh,' Fujimaki said. 'That's my fault. The punk wouldn't let us take care of a clone earlier so I knocked him unconscious.'

'That's not what I meant!'

'We're here too, you know?' Another voice called out from behind us. I immediately recognized that voice.

'Naoi!' I shouted and turned. So many things had happened over such a short time that I wasn't sure what exactly _was _happening anymore.

Naoi was carrying an unconscious, disheveled Takamatsu while Matsushita was carrying a flattened Oyama.

Naoi scoffed. 'You've got some nerve leaving God behind. If I were... less kind, I would've hypnotized you all. But since I feel like being nice today, I'll let you off the hook.'

Hinata couldn't hold it in anymore. He stood up, shouted and clenched his fists into claws. 'WHAT IS GOING ON?'

His voice echoed through the stone tunnel.

'Hey, calm down, man,' Fujimaki said.

'Yeah,' I said. 'At least we've got everyone with us. That's a _good_ thing, isn't it?'

'I _am_ a little curious though,' Matsushita said. 'I thought Yuri and the others were supposed to be a part of the _real-world_ battlefront. Why are they here with us?'

'SEE?' Hinata shouted.

Matsushita continued, 'So does that mean either you died or we've been miraculously brought back to life?'

'But that's not possible,' I said.

'Maybe it's one of **his**tricks,' Iwasawa suggested.

'Oh,' Hinata slapped his hand in realization. 'You mean like maybe we're all hallucinating?'

'No, you nitwit,' Iwasawa said. 'It's obvious everything that's happening here is real.'

I started in sudden realization.

'What is it, Yurippe?' Hinata asked.

'I think I know exactly what's going on. Think about it. The Guild was never supposed to exist in the real world, and yet it does.'

'Yeah. But what does that mean?'

'My guess is that the Guild is somehow one of the "connections" between the Afterlife and the real world. And the closer we get to it, the more vague the boundary between them becomes.'

Everyone looked at me in confusion.

Then Naoi put Takamatsu down cautiously and strolled nonchalantly forwards. 'Seriously, you imbeciles don't understand anything. With the exception of Otonashi, of course,' he added hastily, although Otonashi was still lying unconscious. 'What Yuri is trying to point out is that the Guild is a link, and since members from both the real world and the Afterlife battlefront are pursuing that link, it inevitably brings us together.'

'That's about right. Thanks, Naoi.'

A startled gasp followed by a grunt of pain came from behind me, and I turned to find Fujimaki staring in wide-eyed horror at his chest. Or rather, the shining blue blade that protruded from his chest.

He fell unconscious within seconds and dropped Otonashi, and as his body was moved slowly by the blade, a white-haired clone came into view smirking at us.

'Damn it, how did she get here?' Noda growled.

'She must have been another clone hiding under the water,' Shiina shouted as she got up abruptly from her resting position and pulled out her weapons. 'Go! I'll cover you!'

If there was anything I believed in Shiina, it would be her combat abilities. So I nodded and urged everyone to descend for the next floor while remaining in the back. Shiina was jumping here and there, fending off the attacks from the ferocious clone. She wasn't looking to deal any damage - just to buy enough time for us to escape from the clone.

In hindsight, it wasn't a good idea. If I'd known then that there would be an army of clones waiting for us just ahead, asking my teammates to charge directly into danger would be the last thing I'd do.

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><p><strong>That's it for now. Again, sorry for the long wait. Reviews would be truly wonderful :)<strong>


	29. Chapter 28: The truth at last

**A/N Sorry for the wait. I have no excuse... :S I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for it!**

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><p>Chapter 28 - The truth at last<p>

**Yuzuru Otonashi - ****第二****コンピュータ室外 ****(****Outside second computer room)**

You'd think with Guard Skills, battle formations and strategies would be the last thing harmonics clones needed. After all, brute force alone would almost guarantee victory, right? Yet, in front of us, the ten or so clones had placed themselves in a strategic position, hand sonic at the ready and geared up to fight.

Each and every clone, violent and ferocious as they were, must have been created by Kanade herself in the exact same mindset. That was what we'd learned during our last encounter with Guard Skill: Harmonics.

So every other pressing issue aside, _what_ prompted Kanade to feel that way?

/ / / / / / / / / /

Anyway, I'd regained consciousness when we were - as I would learn later - running from another harmonics clone. Shiina had stayed behind to fend her off as the rest of us made our escape.

To say I was surprised to see Yuri, and Iwasawa, and Matsushita – and quite a lot of people actually – would be a gross understatement. It made me wonder exactly how long I'd been unconscious, or maybe I was still unconscious and I was dreaming up the impossibility. After all, what could possibly explain their being in the Afterworld with us? I was really confused, but no one had the time to fill me in on anything. At least, not yet.

'Where's Hatsune?' I asked after looking around to locate her.

'I asked her to do something for me,' Shiina said suddenly, materializing right behind us.

'By herself? Will she be okay?'

'I sent her along with Fuko. And they'll be fine, don't worry.'

'Huh?' I asked, clearly bewildered, and pointed to the small figure still holding on her computer dearly. 'She's right there.'

'Seems that way.' Shiina didn't say anything other than the offhand response.

I didn't know whether I should drop the issue, but then Shiina whispered, possibly to herself, 'Sometimes I swear there are two Fukos here.'

We arrived at the very last trap that always managed to get Shiina, but apparently the Battlefront was out of cute dolls, so Shiina was off the hook this time.

/ / / / / / / / / /

Anyway, back to the here and now, the clones had turned their attention to us.

I searched frantically for the original, but it was almost impossible to make her out, especially when Kanade only differed from these clones in eye color. On the other hand, if Kanade really _was_ in there, would she really wait for the clones to fight us and do nothing?

Tension grew as we all froze in silence. One wrong move and we'd probably be decimated.

Then, very cautiously, Shiina reached into her back pocket.

'Guard Skill: Hand Sonic.' The clones' voices reverberated in the stone tunnel as blue blades appeared almost simultaneously on the backs of all of their hands. Whether it was because they picked up on Shiina's carefully inconspicuous gesture, or whether they just decided to start a fight all at once, I wouldn't know.

Shiina hesitated again, which was exceedingly unusual and even a bit unnerving. If even she felt intimidated, what hope was left for the rest of us?

Just when the tension was about to reach an unbearable level, the foremost clone took the initiative and spun once, the strong gust of wind instantly extinguishing all the tunnel lights and plunging it into total darkness.

Then several things happened at once.

'Everyone, fall b-' Amidst Yuri's half-finished order was a grunt of pain as she fell to the ground. The sound of rushing wind around us never ceased, the all-too-familiar stabbing sounds clear and horrifying.

Punctuated by a final shriek of pain, the tunnel lights finally came back on, but what I saw was utterly incomprehensible.

A man with jet-black wings had an equally dark Hand Sonic blade thrust into one of the clones, paralyzing her with a sudden surge of electricity.

All around me, every one of my teammates had been knocked on the ground, paralyzed by the very same electricity.

What the hell was happening?!

As I stood frozen in place, the mysterious man darted back and forth at a speed almost imperceptible to the human eye. He was so fast he was practically vanishing and reappearing wherever he pleased, and with each strike of his dark blade, he managed to paralyze a clone.

My mind snapped from my dumbfounded trance, and I crouched hastily.

'Yuri, Yuri, are you okay? Ow!' My hand withdrew itself as the surge of electricity still running through her body threatened to paralyze me.

'Shiina! Ow. Damn it!'

No use. Some of us had already been knocked out cold. Yuri and Shiina were still holding on as they bit their lips. But why was I the only one not affected? Or had I been spared?

'Stop this!' I shouted, but to no avail. On the other side, the battle between the remaining clones and the man intensified as they used delay to match his speed. Slowly, they had him surrounded.

The man broke out the encirclement with a flip, only to grunt in surprise as another clone hidden in the back materialized and stabbed him in the back. No. Wait… Her eyes…

'_Kanade!_' I nearly shouted in surprise but managed to hold myself back.

'Ambush…' The man grunted again as a clone leaped backward and another in front of me, shielding my teammates and me. Holding their Hand Sonic high above their heads, they activated another Guard Skill.

'Guard Skill: Howling.'

The air in front of us warped violently as powerful ultrasound waves shot directly at the mysterious dark-winged man.

Another surge of electricity.

Then everything ended.

The clones slouched as the original was captured, electricity from the dark blade coursing through her.

'Kanade!' I shouted in horror as he slid the blade back effortlessly. I stared at the blade, the blood slowly seeping out of it and Kanade's pained expression. My legs carried me forward with newfound strength. I gave it everything I had. My hands were balled tightly into fists and shot out like lightning.

_Slug_!

I didn't stop to think why he didn't block the attack as my other hand shot out to deliver the next. Before it made contact, it was blocked effortlessly as the man caught my hand. But another body made its impact on the man and he crashed mercilessly into the wall. It was Yuri.

A remarkable feat of resistance, Yuri panted heavily from the pain. 'You wretched program!' she finally managed as she produced a samurai blade and thrust it into the man's body. 'Your plan ends here!'

The man's wings disappeared and his dark blade dissolved, along with the crackling sound of electricity. Shiina, the only other member who managed to resist being knocked out cold, stood up slowly with effort.

'Why?' the man managed. 'Why do you oppose me?'

Yuri, her hand still firmly gripping the handle of the samurai blade and her hair concealing whatever emotion hidden in her eyes, said coldly, 'You almost killed our friends and almost turned me into an NPC. That should be good enough reason.'

The man studied Yuri's face in silence before saying slowly, 'And if you were an NPC now, would you need to suffer anymore?'

Yuri's grip on the handle tightened. 'You will die here. I will finished what I started.'

'I will never die,' the man said. 'As long as Angel Player still exists.'

Yuri gritted her teeth. 'What do you mean!'

'You'd think you'd make the connection,' the man's strength slowly came back to him as white light gathered on his wounds. 'Why I'm doing this. What my purpose here is.'

Yuri thrust the blade further. 'Out with it!'

The man grunted. 'I'll tell you. You can do nothing to stop it anyway. From the very first time we met, I already told you. I am a program. Specifically, I am _the_ program.'

Whatever Yuri's reaction toward that statement might be, it was extremely well hidden.

'Yes. I'm the physical manifestation of Angel Player itself.'

Yuri slightly faltered.

He gripped the blade and slowly pulled it out. 'I believe your next question would be: what triggered my activation after all this time?' He yanked the blade out of Yuri's hands and tossed it away. 'After all, that was also the first thing you asked then.'

'The trigger last time was _blossoming love_. The trigger this time, however, was the sense of overwhelming _pain_.

'When I was created, the programmer had only one purpose – to rid this world of suffering. When pain became too much to bear, that was when I had to step in.' He paused. 'Did you like the world I created for you, even if you just lived there for a split moment?'

'You're wrong.' My mouth moved before my mind could will it to stop. 'Life _is_ worth living.'

I couldn't stop the hospital scene from rushing into my head. When I had to see my sister leave this world for the second time. The pain I had suffered was more than enough to tear me apart.

And then I thought about earlier today, when I was helped by Naoi in regaining my memories. Hatsune had been staring at me with eyes on the verge of tears, her hand gripping mine in a sign of reassurance.

She told me once she was lucky to have me at her side, cheering her on, supporting her. In the end, she was the one I was lucky to have at _my_ side, reminding me the good things life could provide. She was stronger than I could ever hope to be.

'I agree,' Yuri's low voice pierced the silence. 'Whoever the programmer was, he was dead wrong. Running away will never be an option for me.'

'Shiina-san, I've found it! I've found Angel Player!' A fourth, high-pitched voice came from behind us, which I recognized at once to be Hatsune's.

'Perfect,' Yuri said as she picked up the samurai blade and tossed it to me. 'Now we only have to destroy it once and for all. Yuzuru.'

'Right,' I replied.

Amazingly, the program didn't try to stop me. Instead, he said in an exceedingly calm voice, 'If that's how you truly feel, then I understand. But if you destroy the Angel Player, there's a very heavy price to pay. Angel will be obliterated… forever.'

'What?' I froze.

'The Angel Player isn't a mere plaything. It grants the host immeasurable power, yet it comes with a price. Its fate is forever intertwined with its host's.'

'No…' I faltered, my hand trembling slightly with the blade as the words rang clear in my head.

'That means, if Angel Player is destroyed, so will Angel.'

I staggered again, my arms shooting out to grab the program's shoulders. 'I won't let that happen!' I shouted. 'There has to be another way!'

The program smiled. 'If only it were this easy. The Shadow is spreading as we speak. You don't have much time. This is the only way.'

On the far side, Kanade slowly stood up with effort, her hand covering her wound dealt by the earlier dark blade, and staggered forwards.

'I understand.' A luminescent Hand Sonic reappeared on her hand.

What? No!

'Yuzuru,' she said in a soft voice, her tenderly affectionate gaze meeting my terror-struck eyes. 'Thank you. For everything.'

Using the last ounce of her strength, she leaped and aimed straight at the software that had once defined her.

'Kanade, no!' Yuri shouted. I couldn't move in time, the samurai blade I had thrust out at the last minute to shield Kanade was useless and neatly cleaved in two by Hand Sonic. Shiina had placed herself between Kanade and the Angel Player, but Kanade neatly dodged her with a slight tap and turn on the floor. And then came the sound of fate.

I couldn't overlook the slight trail of tears that traced down Kanade's cheek as she thrust her Hand Sonic into Angel Player, her body slowly dissolving into little light orbs.

'KANADE!' I shouted as my knees went weak and dropped to the floor.

'Truly, thank you.' And then she vanished.


	30. Epilogue

Epilogue

'Ow…' When Yuzuru Otonashi finally awoke, the first thing he noticed was how uncomfortable he felt. His body ached and burned all over, and he felt as if he had just been thrown off a cliff and landed hard on a rocky, fiery landscape below.

He slowly sat up, a hand rising to his forehead to fight a sudden wave of nausea.

'Good. You're finally awake,' a voice caught his attention. Yuzuru slowly turned to find a familiar, magenta-haired girl sitting next to the bed he was currently inhabiting. She was holding a half-peeled apple in one hand and a small fruit knife in another.

'Yuri?'

'About time, man!' Another voice called out as a blue-haired boy materialized beside him. 'We were starting to get worried.'

'Where… where am I?'

'The hospital,' Yuri said.

The crease on Yuzuru's brows spoke volumes.

'Train wreck, remember? Takeyama told us all about it.'

'Oh…' Yuzuru collapsed heavily back on his pillow as faint memories started to surface. He _had_ been in an accident.

But something else was nagging his mind. Yuzuru couldn't help but feel something else had happened. Something much bigger. And that something had left a gaping hole in his mind.

'Apple?' Yuri asked as she thrust the small fruit in front of Yuzuru. The unevenly peeled fruit dotted with botches of red skin made him wonder for a moment if Yuri was better suited to be a battlefront leader than a housewife. The thought made him shudder.

'Uh… no thanks.'

'Your loss,' Yuri said as she unceremoniously took a big bite out of the apple.

Wait… battlefront...

Shinda Sekai Sensen…

_The Afterlife…_

A hand shot to Yuzuru's forehead again as he groaned from the throbbing pain.

'Hey… you all right, man?' Hinata asked.

'Whoa… calm down. It's just an apple. I'll peel one more for you if you want,' Yuri said, sounding a little bit alarmed.

Yuzuru continued to grunt in pain as faces started to surface, only to disappear again.

'Hey,' Hinata said with a hint of uncertainty. 'Do you think he's remembering?'

Yuri shook her head adamantly. 'That's impossible.'

'Why is that?'

Yuri only sighed and shook her head.

Yuzuru lifted his head slowly, eyeing Yuri quizzically.

'Don't worry. It has nothing to do with you,' Yuri said as she plopped down on the hospital bed. 'So… fancy another apple?'

Yuzuru buried his head in his hands. As more images floated in and out of his head, the pain became more and more unbearable. Abruptly, he flung the bed sheet away and stood up. 'I'm going to get some air.'

'Wait… you're not allowed to leave yet,' Hinata said.

'It's only for a moment. Don't worry,' Yuzuru said as he headed out the door.

To wander off to the streets while wearing a patient gown was not really a smart idea, so Yuzuru opted for the balcony instead. It must have been off limits, but what the hell?

After slipping past medical personnel unnoticed, Yuzuru was surprised to see a crimson-haired girl, casually leaning on the fence on the balcony.

She turned and grinned at the sight of the welcome trespasser. 'Finally decided to wake up, huh?'

'Yeah, but my mind still feels like mush…' Yuzuru said as he leaned next to the girl.

Iwasawa laughed. 'It's supposed to. You _have_ been through a lot, after all.'

Something in her eyes told Yuzuru she knew more than she was letting on.

'Okay, what's the deal with everybody being so secretive around me?'

Iwasawa fell silent, and Yuzuru let out a deep sigh.

It didn't make any sense.

Yuzuru was still too confused to enjoy the light spring breeze that blew by, and he finally decided he'd better get back to the hospital room before someone noticed him missing.

Yuzuru slipped back quietly, but before he made contact with the doorknob, a small voice reached his ears from the other side which he instantly recognized to be Hinata's.

'… why were you so sure he wouldn't remember?'

Yuri sighed. 'Takamatsu has made his point very clear. An ikiryō and its physical counterpart have no connection whatsoever. And since Otonashi has been lying here the whole time and only his ghost was with us, that means there is no way he's going to remember anything at all. And trust me, it would be better for him this way.' There was a brief pause before she went on, '… well at least the school is safe. Shadows have all but vanished completely. The program is destroyed and not going to bother us anymore.'

'I still feel bad for Otonashi. He's been through so much. Did you see his face? He clearly was remembering something…' Hinata said.

There was another pause before Yuri said, 'He's the most strong-willed person I know. Anyone would have broken to have everything dear to him taken away again and again. The fact that memory fragments made their way into this Yuzuru in real life is testament to that.' Pause. 'Well, I have to go. Take care of him when he comes back, okay? And _don't_ mention a word to him.'

'Do you even need to ask?'

The doorknob turned and the door creaked open. Yuri's eyes widened in a moment of utter shock as she stared into Yuzuru's eyes.

She didn't know what to expect, but seeing him standing stiffly with terror-struck eyes was certainly very painful to watch.

'Otonashi…' her uncertain voice drifted unheard.

The images came flooding in. The conversation with Kanade at the grave. Meeting her all over again in the Afterlife. The final battle with Angel Player. The way Kanade had lunged to destroy the software was burned deep into Yuzuru's mind.

Yuzuru grabbed Yuri's shoulder in a desperate plea, the latter tensing up at the boy's sudden lunge. 'She… she can't have vanished forever, right?'

'I…' Yuri was at a sudden loss for words.

'No one dies in the Afterlife, right? She has just been reincarnated, right? Right?!'

Yuri couldn't bear looking into Yuzuru's desperately hopeful eyes. She bit her lip and carefully placed her hand above his.

Very slowly, he released his grip and backed away, staggering as he made his way out.

'H-hey! Where are you going?' Yuri called out.

Yuzuru didn't know. His mind was blank as he made his exit. Stumbling, he collapsed onto the dry stone that encircled the planted vegetation just outside the hospital.

A set of approaching footsteps came to a stop in front of him, an extended hand waiting to help him up.

Yuzuru looked up. The sun shining brightly in the sky silhouetted the bending figure before him, but even through Yuzuru's tear-stained eyes, he could still make out a pair of innocent, golden orbs.

Those striking eyes…

His eyes widened as his gaze moved to her perfectly silky white hair…

She was smiling.

… _Kanade?_

An outstretched hand reached for hers...

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**AND FINISHED! YEAH! My debut work! Thank you sooo much to everyone for sticking with me on this story. Without your support, this story would probably end up undone in some remote corner. I know there may be some OOC's, and the ending may not be what some of you expected, as it left quite a lot of room for imagination, but I'm really just so proud to have finished and ended it on (quite) a good note XD**

**So, truly, honest-to-burgers, I thank all the readers and reviewers from the bottom of my heart. You guys are AWESOME! :)**


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